You may have heard that today is Crossover Day in Georgia, but you may not be familiar with the term. It is one of the busiest days for lawmakers and they often remain in session late into the night and early morning hours. So, what exactly is Crossover Day, you ask? Read on.
40 Days: Unlike Congress, which meets year-round and takes frequent breaks, The Georgia General Assembly meets for 40 legislative days at the beginning of each year. You may have noticed that the General Assembly begins in January and ends sometime in April, so these obviously aren’t 40 calendar days.
A legislative day is a day that the legislature meets in session to vote on bills and resolutions. Legislative Day 28 is known as crossover day.
What is Crossover Day?: This is the last day that a bill can be passed in one chamber and sent to the next chamber. It is the last opportunity for bills to cross over from the House to the Senate and vice-versa. Bills that don’t get a floor vote by crossover day generally won’t be passed this year.
Why Does It Matter?: Crossover Day gives us a clearer picture of which bills are likely to become law this year. Bills that successfully cross from one chamber to the other could end up on the Governor’s desk.
What if a bill doesn’t cross over?: Each session of the General Assembly is actually two years. This year is the first year of the session. If a bill fails to pass this year, it can be picked up next year. If it fails to pass both years, lawmakers have to start over with it.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
