Legislators in the Georgia General Assembly voted 996 times in 2024. More than a quarter of those votes were on two deadline days.
The 28th day of the 40-day session is the first of the more chaotic days.
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By that “Crossover Day,” bills need to have passed either the House or the Senate to get a chance at the other chamber and the governor’s desk. (A few loopholes aside, that is.) Last Crossover Day, Feb. 29, 2024, the House and Senate voted 125 times between them. (In 2025, it’s March 6.)
The day started about 10 a.m. with attendance and procedural votes, and it didn’t end for more than 12 hours.
By the start of Day 40, legislators are looking at their last chance of the year to get a bill to the governor’s desk for his consideration. A successful bill that went through normal channels will have two committee approvals behind it.
But a full floor vote involves getting the blessing of someone powerful: say, a Rules Committee chair or a lieutenant governor presiding over the state senate. That can happen as late as the last day of session. When the day starts at 10 a.m., there are still questions about what might or might not be called when the day ends, more than 12 hours later. Some amendments may even appear and surprise everyone except the authors.
As the last day turns into evening, the House and Senate each count how many of their bills the other chamber has passed, and take strategic breaks as leaders demand votes from the other. It’s like a game of chicken, but punctuated with pizza delivery and visits to a coffee urn.
As evening turns into night, then late night, deals are cut and votes can happen quickly after hours of waiting. House and Senate leadership bring each others’ bills for agreements or disagreements before one chamber has time to pull up a copy of the changed language they’re supposed to vote on. Folks follow the signs given by whips or party leaders or the people sitting beside them: sometimes the red button but usually green.
Last year, a few votes happened after midnight on Day 40. For the legislature, that’s the same “day,” even if the calendar says different.
Want to keep up with the days? Here’s a link to the General Assembly calendar for 2025.