Crossover Day: Sports betting, drag racing among top issues facing lawmakers

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The issue of legalized, online sports betting is one of the major issues facing lawmakers on Monday, March 6, which is Crossover Day at the state capitol.

Crossover Day is the deadline for a bill to pass one of the two legislative chambers. Bills that fail to pass on Crossover Day can no longer be considered in the current session. When Georgia lawmakers convened back in January, legislative leaders published a schedule that also committed the General Assembly to adjourn on Wednesday, March 29.

If a bill passes both chambers before adjournment, it is sent to the governor’s desk where it awaits approval or veto. After adjournment (or Sine Die), the governor has 40 days to approve or veto it. If Gov. Brian Kemp takes no action within that time, the bill becomes a law. If he vetoes the bill, the General Assembly can override the veto with a two-thirds vote by each House during the next session.

What’s on the House of Representatives’ agenda? Read the calendar here.

A bill becomes effective the following July 1, unless a different effective date is provided in the bill.

Here is the Senate’s full Crossover Day calendar.

Two bills are facing the state Senate that would allow, in various forms, Georgians to legally wager on sporting events online: SB172 and SR140.

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• Sports betting in Georgia dealt a setback in state Senate
• Georgia lawmakers introduce online sports betting bill
• Lawmakers look to legalize sports betting in Georgia
• Wanna bet? Online sports betting becomes political issue in Georgia 2022 midterms

Senate Bill 10 would create penalties for individuals found guilty of “knowingly attending and facilitating an illegal drag race or a laying drags exhibition,”

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• Atlanta police chief, mayor share details of weekend street-racing arrests
• Atlanta police crackdown on reckless driving, illegal street racing
• Street racing in Gwinnett County could leave you with no wheels for a month

Senate Bill 140 would prohibit certain surgical procedures that could be performed to minors in the treatment of gender dysphoria. The bill also would restrict hormone therapy for minors but would allow puberty blockers. The Mayo Clinic defines gender dysphoria as “the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics.”

Full coverage of this year’s Georgia General Assembly

Here’s a look at some of the other issues that lawmakers have already tackled:

• Senate passes bill reforming Georgia’s foster care custody
• Bill proposed to protect students from gun violence in Georgia schools
• New State Senate bill would ban booting of vehicles in Georgia
• Court clerks may soon be banned from keeping passport processing fees
• Georgia lawmakers push to legally define antisemitism, increase penalties
• Georgia Senate passes bill to discipline prosecutors

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