ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers worked late into Friday evening as the Crossover Day deadline approached at the Georgia State Capitol, a key legislative milestone for bills to remain alive this session.
A controversial election bill failed to pass the Senate before the deadline.
In the House, lawmakers advanced an overhauled version of a property tax relief proposal in a late-night vote. The measure caps property tax increases at 3% per year and now moves to the Senate for a final vote.
State Rep. Shaw Blackmon said the plan was intended to gradually reduce the tax burden.
“It’s a measured approach, its reasonable. If the bench marks are all met then more dollars can be returned to the taxpayers,” Blackmon said.
Democrats, including Sam Park, pushed back, arguing the proposal could impact state services.
“We must stop these tax cuts for the rich if we want to lift all Georgians up,” Park said.
The Georgia State Senate passed legislation intended to prevent power customers from absorbing infrastructure costs tied to data center expansion.
Republican Georgia Sen. Matt Brass said the bill clarifies financial responsibility related to data centers.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s a good win for our citizens and a good win for the rate payers,” he said.
The Georgia State Senate also passed legislation that would make it easier to discipline or remove a district attorney who fails to comply with certain rules.
Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert said the bill would give the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Qualifications Commission the authority to take disciplinary action against prosecutors rather than relying solely on the state bar.
“The state bar has certain rules, but this puts the disciplinary action in the hands of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Qualifications Commission,” Cowsert said.
Earlier this week, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the state’s amended budget, including about $2 billion in income and property tax relief.
Lawmakers were also debating sports betting legislation as the midnight deadline approached.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien and Miles Montgomery contributed to this story.