Welcome to Crossover Day in the Georgia General Assembly! Today is the deadline for bills to pass out of their chambers of origin (House bills must be passed by the House and Senate bills by the Senate) if they are going to remain viable for final passage in the 2026 session. Crossover Day is usually a long and busy day for lawmakers and advocates alike, and Southern Center’s public policy team will be tracking the legislature’s business all day — and most likely, into the night.

SCHR is tracking more than 100 bills, but today, we’re paying close attention to the bills that have made it out of committee but have not yet crossed over to the other chamber. Please keep an eye on our social media accounts for emergent calls to action as the day progresses.

Once a bill passes out of a House standing committee—for example, the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee or House Public Safety Committee—it is eligible for a full vote on the House floor. However, most bills that make it out of standing committees don’t end up getting a vote on the House floor because the Rules Committee decides which of the eligible bills to send to the floor. The House Rules Committee will meet several times throughout the day to decide which bills to send to the floor for a vote.

We are tracking several House bills that have passed out of their standing committee but are still waiting on the Rules Committee to decide whether they will be voted on by the full House. Here are some of the bills — good and bad — that we will be watching for in the House Rules Committee meetings throughout the day:

The Good 

• HB 140 would limit the percentage of funds derived from court fines or forfeiture actions that municipalities can include in their yearly budgets. Specifically, it establishes a gradual cap on these funds, starting at 30% in 2027, and decreasing to 15% in 2030. If a municipality collects court fines and forfeiture proceeds exceeding the cap, those funds are transmitted to the state’s general fund.
• HB 237 would establish a presumption that a defendant’s creative or artistic expression — such as rap lyrics — is inadmissible to be used against them at trial. For the state to overcome the presumption, it would have to prove by clear and convicting evidence that the defendant intended the expression to be literal, the art refers to specific acts of the alleged crime, it is relevant, and it isn’t the only evidence.
• HB 1398 would require pregnancy to be considered in determining bail and be considered a mitigating factor during sentencing. It also allows for the deferral of imprisonment for pregnant women under specific conditions.
• HB 1255 is a long-overdue discovery reform bill that has been championed by the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
• HB 1429 would improve transparency and understanding in Georgia’s juvenile system, ensuring policymakers and communities have clearer information on juvenile fines and fees and can make better-informed decisions.

The Bad 

• HB 675 would create the felony offense of providing material support for acts of terrorism or knowingly assisting designated foreign terrorist organizations, which would be punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000.
• HB 1076 would create a new felony offense for obstructing a law enforcement officer using a moving or stationary vehicle, which would be punishable by 1-5 years incarcerated and/or a fine of up to $100,000. We oppose this unnecessary bill because Georgia already has misdemeanor obstruction, felony obstruction, aggravated assault, and aggravated assault against a police officer.
• HB 1390 would expand the use of civil asset forfeiture for people charged with reckless stunt driving. Under current law, the vehicle of someone charged with reckless stunt driving is only subject to forfeiture if that person has a prior conviction of reckless stunt driving. The bill, as introduced, would have completely removed the requirement of a predicate conviction for the vehicle to be subject to forfeiture. The bill was amended in committee, and the current version would make the vehicle subject to forfeiture upon conviction (instead of arrest). Although this is an improvement, we still oppose the bill.
• HB 1482 would require the City of Atlanta to turn over use of the Atlanta City Detention Center to the Fulton County Sheriff at his request. Yesterday, the House Governmental Affairs Committee. passed the bill out of committee without allowing any public comment. This undemocratic bill — denying Black leadership of a majority Black city the autonomy of self-governance — is being advanced in a shamelessly undemocratic manner.
  • Unlike the robust court-enforceable agreement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the County, this bill does not address the underlying causes of the unconstitutional and inhumane conditions at the Fulton County jail. The DOJ connected understaffing at the Jail to (i) the failure to protect incarcerated people, (ii) excessive and unreasonable use of force, and (iii) the failure to maintain hygienic and safe facilities. The sheriff incarcerating more people at the Atlanta jail without adequate staffing and supervision, which he admits he has never had, will only lead to the Atlanta jail’s rapid descent into dangerous disrepair.
• HB 1322 would change the classification of the offense of riot from a misdemeanor to a felony, with a penalty of imprisonment ranging from one to twenty years. This change reflects a significant increase in the legal consequences for individuals found guilty of participating in a riot, defined as an unlawful act of violence or any violent and tumultuous behavior by two or more persons. Additionally, the bill would add riot to the list of bail restricted offenses (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1).

All the Senate bills we are tracking have either already crossed over or have already been placed on the calendar for a vote on the Senate floor today. Here are a few Senate bills that the Senate will vote on today:

• SB 482 — a bill originally intended to protect people from having their “mugshots” posted online by exploitative companies that charge money to remove the photograph — has been amended to shield police fro accountability by hindering public access to videos that have nothing to do with mugshots. The revised version requires individuals requesting “law enforcement videos” or booking photographs to (1) provide the first and last names of the individuals depicted in the video or photo, (2) submit a notarized statement affirming compliance with existing law regarding publication of booking photos, and (3) make the request in person.
• SB 592 — The One Strike Act — would drastically increase sentencing ranges for aggravated assault, aggravated battery, kidnapping, and the rape or sexual battery of a child. It also substantially expands the scope of “serious violent felonies,” which has serious implications for sentencing and other collateral consequences. The bill also would strip large swaths of people currently serving time in Georgia prisons of their parole eligibility.

As we mentioned, there have also been some concerning House bills that have already crossed over. One of the most concerning bills is HB 295, which would undermine much of the recent progress made to reduce the Fulton County jail population and promote diversion. We will also let you know if bills like this are called up for a floor vote today.

What’s coming up?

• March 10 – Join us on for our Post-Crossover Talk Justice Tuesday, where we will discuss what died, what survived, and how that impacts our strategy for the remainder of session.
• April 2 – Sine Die

Today will be long and busy, but our team will continue to keep you updated on the status of the bills we are monitoring and how you can support our efforts, and don’t hesitate to get in touch at [email protected], if you have questions about what’s happening at the Capitol.