State lawmakers race toward Sine Die with major items left to consider

Chants of “send it back” rang out Friday afternoon when the Senate’s version of the state budget arrived in the House. The scene signaled that the dueling chambers intend to stretch spending negotiations into the last two days of the session.

Some things did earn final approval Friday — two of which target district attorneys.

Lawmakers backed expanded authority to discipline prosecutors accused of misconduct and, in the final minutes of the day, passed a controversial bill that made metro Atlanta district attorney races nonpartisan.

Here’s a closer look at the key legislation still up for debate as the clock ticks toward Sine Die.

Taxes

Lawmakers are still split over what long-term tax relief should look like. The House passed an income-tax cut bill earlier this month and advanced a measure to cap property tax increases at 3% a year. A more sweeping bid to eliminate the homestead tax failed.

The Georgia Senate is pushing a broader effort to eliminate the state income tax by 2032, financed partly by eliminating tax credits. That leaves Georgia Republicans arguing over the mix of one-time rebates, lower income tax rates and property tax relief.

Election laws

The Georgia Senate is pushing to require preprinted, hand-marked paper ballots by the midterms, racing to meet a self-imposed deadline and setting up a clash with House lawmakers who want to delay the switch.

The standoff has put lawmakers and election officials in a bind as they try to comply with a mandate set two years ago to eliminate QR codes from ballots by July.

The bill is now on a collision course with a House-backed proposal that would keep touchscreen machines through the midterms and delay any switch until 2028, giving the next secretary of state time to refine the system.

The ‘Rick Jackson Bill’

Jones’ allies are pushing legislation that would block candidates with state contracts from running for statewide office — a direct shot at his archrival in the GOP race for governor, Republican billionaire Rick Jackson.

The bill, which has stalled in the House, initially seemed an attempt to highlight that Jackson’s health care staffing firm has received more than $1 billion in payments from state agencies since 2020. Jones’ supporters signal it’s a priority in the final days.

Data centers

Georgia is one of the top markets for computer server-filled warehouses, but many projects are now facing pushback because of the amount of energy, land and water they use.

The battle over data centers under the Gold Dome is really two parallel fights. One is over power costs, with the House approving a bill aimed at shielding residential and small-business customers from bearing the costs of energy infrastructure built for data centers.

The second is over tax breaks. The Senate passed a bill to repeal new sales tax subsidies for data center equipment and phase out existing breaks. That measure moved forward even after another data center bill had stalled amid infighting.

Body cameras

Lawmakers are considering a change that would make it harder for the public to access video and audio recordings captured by law enforcement. Individuals would have to request the material in person and identify by name everyone in the photos or videos, possibly including bystanders.

First Amendment advocates say the bill would make it practically impossible for the public to access police videos and mug shots — especially body-worn camera footage that provides firsthand accounts of interactions between law enforcement and citizens.

Supporters say the change is needed to prevent nontraditional media outlets from posting images online to make money by either selling advertising or, in violation of state law, demanding people pay them to take the images down.