On Crossover Day, our attorneys successfully stopped several bad bills that threatened to harm the civil liberties of Georgians from passing, and worked with lawmakers to water down many that did pass. The day ended in mixed results and left us with much work to do as we enter the final weeks of the legislative session.
"Legislators considered over 100 bills to keep alive for the rest of session on Crossover Day. Most of these bills are acceptable, but there are a number of controversial measures. We’re concerned about attacks on librarians, religious liberty, immigrants, and those who are brave enough to support protest. The ACLU of Georgia will continue to advocate for the civil liberties of all Georgians," said Ben Lynde, ACLU of Georgia Policy Counsel.
Bills still under consideration include a voting-related package of laws that will make it harder to vote, not easier; a digital privacy law that’s short on protections for Georgians’ personal information and big on favors to tech companies; and a bill that will foster discrimination rather than religious freedom. Elected officials need to hear directly from the people they represent, so please keep an eye out for action alerts as a means to have your voices heard on these issues and others.
It’s important to remember that any bill not passed by one chamber on Crossover Day can still reappear later in session. Lawmakers often slide information from bills that did not pass either chamber into other bills, known as “vehicles,” until the session wraps on its final day, Sine Die. Bills that did not get a vote are not likely to become law this session.
Here are some of the bills we focused on, and where they landed after Crossover Day:
Advocacy Last Week
Beyond the busiest, longest day of the session so far, we advocated for digital privacy protections, LGBTQ+ rights, and increased civic engagement with coalition partners last week.
Attorneys from the ACLU, ACLU of Georgia, and Free Press Action spoke out against Senate Bill 473 on the west steps of the capitol on Monday, Feb. 26. The bill aims to protect Georgians’ privacy, but instead, it favors protecting big tech companies. “Georgia families deserve to have their faceprints, voice prints and fingerprints protected, not sold to the highest bidder. SB 473 fails to protect Georgia families and it fails to protect ethical companies from unfair competition. We can do better,” said Andrea Young, ACLU of Georgia Executive Director. Sadly, the Senate quickly passed the bill the following day. We’ll be working to improve or stop this bad bill in the House.
On Wednesday, we joined a coalition of faith, health, and reproductive justice leaders to show our strong, concerted opposition to Senate Bill 180. Lawmakers say the bill will protect people of faith from government intrusion. We, and many others, believe it would enable conservative Christians to use their faith as a reason to discriminate against the LGTBQ+ community and other groups by refusing to do business with them or provide certain services. We’re very disappointed SB 180 passed the Senate on Crossover and will continue to monitor its progress through the legislature.
We also participated in Black Voters Matter Lobby Day, where ACLU of Georgia’s Deputy Policy Director Fallon McClure provided a rundown of our priority bills and encouraged its members to get involved in the legislative process.
