Political Rewind: As the dust settles following Sine Die, which bills passed and what didn't?

Credit: Sam Bermas-Dawes, GPB News

The panel: 

Chuck Williams — reporter, WRBL-TV

Patricia Murphy — political reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Stanley Dunlap — state government reporter, Georgia Recorder

Tamar Hallerman — senior reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The breakdown: 

1. What passed and what didn't after the Sine Die deadline?

• GPB's Riley Bunch walks us through the measures that made it across the finish line and the ones that did not. 
  • Several bills crossed the finish line including an election bill, divisive concepts bill, permit-less carry, and the Mental Health Parity Act.
  • But a ban on mailing abortion pills, a gambling referendum, and a bill to clear up the medical cannabis system didn't pass.

2. An elections bill made it across the finish line after being stripped down. 

• House Bill 1464 passed. The originally 39-page measure was cut down drastically before the Sine Die deadline after poll workers and election officials gave pushback on some measures. 
  • The final bill gives the Georgia Bureau of Investigations the ability to investigate complaints of voter fraud.

3. Several measures focusing on education were passed by lawmakers, including bills promoted by Gov. Brian Kemp.

• Teachers were given a $2,000 raise as part of the House budget. 
• Legislators passed HB 1084 which bans a list of “divisive concepts” from classroom discussions.
• A last-minute amendment gives the Georgia High School Association the authority on policies involving transgender youth participating in athletics.

Wednesday on Political Rewind:

Emory University's Dr. Carlos del Rio joins us to discuss the latest developments in the COVID pandemic.