Photograph by Rachel Garbus
Another year, another legislative session in the books. In the wee hours of March 30, the Georgia General Assembly finished its lawmaking for the year, in a frantic sprint to pass what they could, table the rest, and squabble over everything in between.
This year’s session started out sluggish. The State House and Senate were both under new leadership, with Representative Jon Burns stepping into Speaker of the House following the death of David Ralston, a beloved North Georgia Republican who’d led the House for nearly 20 years. Across the hall, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones presided over the Senate for the first time, ruffling a few feathers as he attempted to push through a rural hospital bill that critics said would have financially benefited his father-in-law (it failed).
Tensions simmered between the chambers in the final weeks, but lawmakers managed to pass a sizable stack of new laws, some with strong bipartisan support, others over howling Democratic opposition. Republicans, with a majority in both chambers, rule the roost under the Gold Dome. But state Democrats handily wield their limited influence, voting as a bloc and peeling off Republican votes wherever they can.
Because the legislature works in two-year sessions, any bill that didn’t make it can be reconsidered next year. But for now, here’s a look at what won and lost in 2023.
Squeaked through on the last day
2024 State Budget
The only bill lawmakers are constitutionally mandated to pass is next year’s budget, and they pulled it off—at the eleventh hour (literally. It was 11:56 p.m.) The $32.4 billion budget for 2024 includes $2,000 raises for teachers, bringing the average annual teacher salary to $61,000, the largest in the Southeast. State law enforcement officers will also receive big salary bumps.
The budget, which lawmakers said accounted for a projected economic slowdown, includes cuts to higher education and Georgia Public Broadcasting, though not as steep…
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