Seven Days Left, Session Ends April 2nd

To pass in the 40-day Georgia General Assembly, legislation must be half through the process before Cross-Over Day which is Day 30 of the 40-day session. Since the 30th day was March 11th, no House bill can pass this session, unless it passed the House and was introduced in the Senate on/before March 8th. Likewise, no Senate bill can pass this session, unless it passed the Senate and was introduced in the House on/before March 8th. However, an entire bill may be amended onto other legislation that passed either House or Senate by the end of March 8th, if the subjects of the bill to be amended and the additional language to be attached are germane.

Bills Poised to Pass
H.B. 426 Hate Crime, Enhances Penalties for crimes, actually or perceived to be, based on the victim’s sexual orientation or gender. It passed the House 96-64 March 7th, requiring added penalties for suspects of certain crimes. They would be sentenced for their thoughts in addition to the sentence required for the crime. This creates a two-tiered penalty – a regular penalty for a crime involving “straight” individuals and a stiffer penalty for victims in alternate lifestyles.
ACTION – Oppose. All crimes are hate crimes. This values some victims more than others. Call Judiciary Committee Senators Stone, Ch., 404 463-1314; Cowsert, V-Ch., 463-1366; Tillery, Sec., 656-0089; Heath, 656-3943; Jones, H., 463-3942; Kennedy, 656-0045; Ligon, 463-1383; Parent, 656-5109; Rhett, 656-0054; Strickland 656-7454.

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