ATLANTA – Striking a blow for certainty in scheduling, the General Assembly has designated Monday, April 4, as Sine Die, the final day of this year’s legislative session.
The Georgia House and Senate unanimously passed an adjournment resolution Tuesday setting the schedule for the remainder of the 2022 session. The votes came on Day 6 of the 40-day session, earlier than legislative leaders typically let rank-and-file lawmakers know when they can return to their homes and regular jobs.
“It gives us some certainty in our lives,” said House Majority Leader Jon Burns, R-Newington.
Some lawmakers questioned the comparatively late date for Sine Die, particularly in an election year when they are anxious to get out on the campaign trail. The General Assembly often adjourns in late March and has left Atlanta in recent years as early as mid-March.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, R-Carrollton, said because of staffing shortages, Senate employees still on the job need extra time to complete their work.
“The pandemic has affected all of us,” he said. “If we’re going to do our jobs, we need to do them well.”
“[The schedule] sets aside enough time for us to get our work done properly,” added House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge.
Under the adopted schedule, Crossover Day this year will fall on Tuesday, March 15. Bills that have not passed either the House or Senate by that deadline are considered dead for the year, barring 11th-hour maneuvering that can resurrect dead legislation by inserting it into a related bill.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.