Political Rewind: Sine Die As 2020 Legislative Session Comes To A Hectic Close

Today on Political Rewind, host Bill Nigut spoke with GPB News' Stephen Fowler, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Tia Mitchell and Adam Van Brimmer of the Savannah Morning News.

The phrase ‘Sine Die’ will echo through the halls of the state Capitol soon as the legislature ends the 2020 session. It is the last chance for action on several pieces of legislation, including bills governing tax breaks and elections. 

Fowler said after months of budget negotiations, the proposed cuts were not as severe as originally outlined, which was around 14%.

"It's a strange time to live in to say that a 10% budget cut is not that bad," he said.

Another bill coming out of this legislative week addressed hate crimes. Mitchell said the bill was a sign of shifting attitudes toward the social inequities faced by Black Americans.

"It's an interesting study of what it took for America, and we are mainly talking about white Americans, to wake up," Mitchell said.

Later in the show, Bill and the panel also discussed the efforts of Savannah Mayor Van Johnson to require people in the city to wear masks as coronavirus cases continue to climb.

You can hear today's episode by clicking the link above.