Major legislation in the Georgia House and Senate

Georgia lawmakers worked late into the night Thursday to meet a key deadline and advance legislation that could transform the state.

Thursday was Crossover Day, the last day of each legislative session when a bill can be passed from one chamber of Georgia's legislature to the other for consideration this year. Within 14 hours, lawmakers in the state House of Representatives and Senate voted on more than 100 bills.

In the week leading up to Crossover Day, state senators and representatives worked overtime to get their bills through committee in time for a floor hearing. Follow our 2024 bill tracker and check out our crossover preview to learn about some of the most anticipated legislation.

More:40 days. 309 bills. Here's everything Savannah-area lawmakers are trying to pass in 2024

Here are some of Thursday's highlights:

House of Representatives

HB 1053: Prohibits use of CBCD as currency for Georgia agencies (passed)

Author: Rep. Carter Barrett (R-Cumming)

Vote: 136-32

Overview: This bill would prevent state authorities from using central bank digital currency (CBDC), which is a government-backed alternative to cryptocurrency. Citing privacy and security concerns, the bill would prevent Georgia's state government from using, accepting or testing CBDCs. Read the original text of the bill here.

HB 1105: The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024 (passed)

Author: Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah)

Vote: 97-74

Overview: This bill imposes harsher penalties on sheriffs who refuse to report undocumented immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and requires correctional institutions to publicly report the number of undocumented immigrants housed in their jails. The bill would also require all eligible law enforcement agencies to participate in ICE's 287(g) program or risk losing federal funding. Read the original text of the bill here.

HB 1105:The House of Representatives passes a bill restricting funding for law enforcement agencies in Georgia that do not cooperate with ICE

HB 1116: Renovation of historical buildings (passed)

Author: Rep. Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City)

Vote: 162-5

Overview: The bill would provide a tax credit for the rehabilitation and preservation of properties listed on the National or Georgia Registers of Historic Places, provided the buildings meet some additional criteria. It also doubles the total number of loans available, raising the cap to $60 million. Read the original text of the bill here.

HB 1125: Raising the minimum wage for Georgians with disabilities (passed)

Author: Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta)

Vote: 160-0

Overview: This bill revises a 1938 federal labor law that allows companies to pay workers with disabilities less than the minimum wage. The measure would update the law to require companies to pay the federal minimum wage for disabled workers by July 1, 2026. You can read the original text of the bill here.

HB 1146: Water access for workforce housing (passed)

Author: Ron Stephens (R-Savannah)

Vote: 105-58

Overview: With the expansion of the Hyundai plant in Bryan County near Savannah, this bill would allow for faster construction of workforce housing by privatizing water permits in cases where public facilities cannot meet the demand. But opponents expressed concerns that construction of worker housing was too hasty and could result in poor water quality for workers moving to the area. Read the original text of the bill here.

HB 1180: Film Tax Credit (Passed)

Author: Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton)

Vote: 131-34

Overview: This bill would limit eligibility for film, television, and video game productions applying for tax credits in the state of Georgia. Current law requires productions to spend at least $500,000 to receive a 20% tax credit. The new law would raise the minimum amount to $1 million and include other incentives to encourage manufacturing companies to hire Georgia-based employees and suppliers. Read the original text of the bill here.

HR 780: Ban non-citizens from voting (failed)

Author: Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah)

Vote: 98-61

Overview: In response to states like California, Maryland and Vermont allowing immigrants to vote in local elections, this resolution would have created a barrier to similar legislation in Georgia. The bill would have created a ballot question for voters to decide whether only U.S. citizens within the state would be eligible to vote, but it failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority in the House. Read the original text of the resolution here.

senate

SB 180: Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act (passed)

Author: Senator Ed Setzler (R-Acworth)

Vote: 33-19

Overview: A bill that borrows heavily from federal legislation of the same name would provide greater protection for religious groups by limiting the power of state and local governments to pass or enforce laws that conflict with a person's religious beliefs. Opponents of the bill say it could make it easier to discriminate against various groups, such as women and the LGBTQ community. Read the original text of the bill here.

SB 390: Withdrawal from the American Library Association (passed)

Author: Senator Larry Walker, III (R-Perry)

Vote: 33-20

Overview: This bill would defund all libraries within the state that have ties to the American Library Association and disband the State Board for the Certification of Librarians. Although supporters of the bill say the expulsion is necessary to preserve Georgia values ​​in the library environment, opponents point to the numerous unintended consequences of leaving the organization, particularly for students pursuing master's degrees in library science in the state. Read the original text of the bill here.

SB 543: Regulation of bingo machines (passed)

Author: Senator Matt Brass (R-Newnan)

Vote: 47-4

Overview: This bill would allow the Secretary of State's Office to regulate electronic bingo machines, which are currently one of only three legal forms of gambling in the state of Georgia. It also increases the allowable payout from bingo games. Read the original text of the bill here.

SB 407: Domestic Violence Reporting (Passed)

Author: Sense. Donzella James (D-Atlanta)

Vote: 52-1

Overview: This bill would update domestic violence reporting laws and require law enforcement agencies to take reports of family violence more seriously. It would require that police prepare an incident report in response to allegations of domestic violence and that the report note whether the incident involved someone who is currently or at some point has a protective order issued against them. Read the original text of the bill here.