ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers have concluded a five-day special legislative session that resulted in the passage of one of the three major items Republican leaders said they wanted to address.
Lawmakers approved legislation changing the deadline to remove QR codes from ballots. Efforts involving redistricting and property tax relief did not advance.
House Minority Leader Carolyn Hughley criticized the outcome of the session.
“To the citizens of this state, my apologies for wasting so much of your money,” Hughley said.
Hughley also questioned the value of the special session.
“We’ve not done anything that we could not have done in regular session,” Hughley said.
According to state figures, paying lawmakers for their time during the special session cost taxpayers more than $290,000. That total does not include staff salaries or mileage reimbursements.
“We have wasted a lot of time and money and where are we?” Hughley said.
Following the conclusion of the session, Hughley said she was ready to move on from the special legislative session.
“Now that it’s over, we can go back to regular order,” Hughley said.