It's Crossover Day at the Capitol.

It's Crossover Day at the Capitol.

It’s Crossover Day at the Georgia State Capitol, where House and Senate lawmakers will race against the clock to get legislation out of one chamber or the other by day’s end.

Day 28 of the legislative session will feature debate on dozens of bills that are fresh from committee hearings, as well as higher-profile measures that have dominated the Gold Dome.

Lawmakers today will decide the fate of a measure to require elections officials take action to address long lines at the polls, consider legislation that could expand Georgians’ gambling options, and regulate ethylene oxide emissions. 

The rest of the legislative days for the House and the Senate remain uncertain as leaders assess the impact of coronavirus on the state.

This post will be updated with key votes and updates throughout the day.

10:46 p.m. - The hour is late, and the House still has a number of controversial bills that haven't been discussed, including a gambling bill.

6:30 p.m. - A lot has happened under the Gold Dome since the afternoon. The Senate adjourned for the day while the House is on dinner break. Gov. Kemp announced the state's first death from COVID-19 and a cascade of closures quickly followed. Legislative leadership issued a statement suspending the session indefinitely after Friday out of an abundance of caution for coronavirus.

2:00 p.m. - The House and the Senate are returning from lunch after sending the amended fiscal year budget to the governor's desk before the break. It includes $100 million to fight coronavirus and comes as Gov. Brian Kemp announced the state's first death from COVID-19.

12:16 p.m. - The Senate approved a measure encouraged by the secretary of state's office that aims to tackle long lines at the polls. SB 463  would require counties to take action if a polling place above a certain size has lines longer than an hour on Election Day.

Officials would have to add more staff, put out more voting machines or split up the precinct to have fewer registered voters.

11:29 a.m. - House Speaker David Ralston said the future of the legislative session is up in the air as leaders monitor ongoing developments with coronavirus in the state. 
 
Speaking to the chamber, the Blue Ridge Republican said that officials are reevaluating where the rest of the session goes. 
 
“We will have Crossover Day, and we will, in all likelihood, be here tomorrow,” he said. “Members do not have to be here tomorrow except for me and the clerk and the messenger and the general counsel.”
 
Ralston said the House would do first readings of Senate bills. The governor is set to give a 1 p.m. press conference with the latest on COVID-19 in the state, and Ralston said he would work with the governor and Senate leadership to discuss future plans for the final days of the 2020 session.

 

10:38 a.m. - The Senate voted 53-1 to approve HB 792, the amended fiscal year 2020 budget. The measure includes $100 million pulled from the state's Revenue Shortfall Reserve to go into the governor's emergency fund to aid the state's response to coronavirus.

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