Legislature’s final day
Budget passes, Hidden Predator law lingers
ATLANTA — As the hour ticked toward midnight on the final day of Georgia’s 40-day legislative session, members of the House and Senate worked furiously to pass dozens of bills.
The rush can lead to dramatic last-minute changes to legislation, some intentional and some by accident.
By Thursday evening, lawmakers had given final passage to a wide range of proposals, including a state budget that fully funds the state’s K-12 education formula. Other bills were still hanging in the balance, including a measure that would give victims of childhood sexual abuse more time to confront their abusers.
Here’s a look at some of the top issues at the Capitol:
STATE BUDGET
The Georgia House passed a budget Thursday for the upcoming fiscal year that fully funds the state’s K-12 education formula after over a decade of cutbacks.
The $26 billion budget will go to Gov. Nathan Deal, who’s expected to quickly sign it into law. The measure passed the Senate on Tuesday.
The proposal, buoyed by a $195 million increase in the governor’s tax revenue estimate, includes an additional $167 million for K-12 education and allows lawmakers to fully fund the Quality Basic Education formula.
The new budget also includes $100 million in borrowing for transit projects, $360 million toward the teacher retirement pension system and about $16 million in funding for school safety in the wake of last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
HIDDEN PREDATORS
The Georgia Senate has passed a weakened version of a proposal to allow adults who were sexually abused as children to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers.
Senators voted 51-0 in favor of giving adults up to the age of 30 the ability to file suit in the future. The current age limit is 23, but the House had last month voted to extend the statute of limitations to 38.
Unlike the House version, the Senate version does not give victims of all ages a one-year window to file suit.
GOP Rep. Jason Spencer, the bill’s sponsor, said he would ask his House colleagues to reject the Senate’s measure and instead have the bill be sent to a conference committee in the hopes of reaching a compromise before the session was set to end at midnight.
During a news conference Thursday morning, Spencer said the Senate’s proposal “leaves victims behind.”
DISTRACTED DRIVING
Georgia lawmakers are one step away from giving final passage to a proposal to prevent drivers from holding their cellphones while behind the wheel.
Both the House and Senate have now passed similar versions of the bill. Georgia would become the 16th state to enact a hands-free driving law.
If the Senate agrees to the House’s recently amended version, the measure would be sent to the governor.
Proponents say drivers who look at their phones are largely responsible for a recent spike in fatal crashes across the state.
Under the proposals, firsttime offenders would be fined $50, with the fees increasing for repeat offenders.
Drivers also would be able to use their phone through a handsfree device.
ESCAPING ABUSERS
Georgia lawmakers have given final passage to a proposal to let victims of domestic violence terminate housing leases early without paying penalties.
The House voted 166-0 in favor of the measure, sending it to the governor.
Under the proposal, victims who have received a domestic violence order in either a criminal or civil court proceeding will be eligible to terminate their lease early.
Proponents say victims who are trying to escape a dangerous environment should not also have to worry about the fees they would face if they break their lease.
A tenant would need to provide a landlord with a written notice at least 30 days before breaking the lease.