With days left in Georgia’s legislative session, big bills see major changes

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - With only days to go until the end of the legislative session in Georgia, lawmakers are scrambling to get their bills ed. For many pieces of proposed legislation, that means changes. In Georgia, proposals that don’t make it past a vote in either the Senate or the House are able to be tacked onto bills that do.

It happened to two key bills this week. HB 268, a cornerstone of House Speaker Jon Burns’ school safety wish list, was stripped of a key component when senators removed a database requirement that would allow schools to share information on potentially violent students.

Some lawmakers and parents argued it amounted to surveillance of students and could follow a child for their entire school career, even for a minor infraction. It was abruptly removed from the bill, though Burns said the remaining elements of it are a good step towards safety.

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“We look forward to working with the Senate next week and I believe they’ll get school safety across the finish line,” he said during a Friday press conference. “I know that it will offer protections for our students in Georgia, for a safe learning place so they can excel.”

Other bills saw huge mix-ups too. House Bill 79, which would offer up to $300 tax credits on the purchase of gun safety storage devices and safe firearms classes, was altered Thursday when a Senate committee watered it down to only offer the tax credit for safety classes. It was also combined with elements of Senate Bill 47, which would create an 11-day, tax-free holiday on all gun purchases, including safety equipment.

State Rep. Michelle Au (D-Johns Creek) sponsored House Bill 1, which is effectively similar to HB 79 by offering tax rebates for the purchase of safe gun storage equipment. Standing at an event that featured families of Apalachee High School students, where the worst school shooting in Georgia history took place last year, Au railed against the changes Friday, saying the most important element was removed.

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“I’m not exactly sure what this bill aims to do at this point,” Au said. “I don’t know if they think that the activists that are here and the students and the families that are listening are stupid enough to think that this is action on gun safety.”

There are only five days remaining in this year’s legislative session. The final day – Sine Die – is Friday, April 4.