Legislature's typically hectic crossover day looks tame so far

ATLANTA - It's do or die. Make or break. Frenzied and frantic.<br /> <br /> However you want to put it, the Georgia Legislature is headed for crossover day on Tuesday - usually a hectic deadline for bills to pass in at least one chamber or be tossed aside until next session.<br /> <br /> But this time around, it could be less chaotic than usual.<br /> <br /> The defeat in the House of Speaker Glenn Richardson's proposal to erase the car tax could mean that Republicans will fail to deliver on what was supposed to be their signature issue this year: tax reform.<br /> <br /> Instead, they could be asking Georgians to raise taxes. Key House and Senate members said they are close to a deal on transportation funding that would allow voters to approve local sales tax increases to pay for road projects.<br /> <br /> "I would hate to leave here at the end of the day without addressing, in some substantive way, traffic relief," state Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson said.<br /> <br /> Many of the remaining high-profile proposals have already passed one of the legislative chambers, including measures relaxing gun laws and allowing state funding for reservoirs. Other controversial measures - like a proposal to make English Georgia's official language - have already gone down in flames.<br /> <br /> What's left are dozens of minor proposals that could force lawmakers to work late on Tuesday. Other seemingly forgotten bills can still pop up, including proposals still pending from last year's legislative session. Among them is Gov. Sonny Perdue's proposal to cut taxes for upper income retirees.<br /> <br /> And while Richardson has said he won't revive the tax measure again, things have a way of coming back from the dead in the final, frenetic push to the finish line.<br /> <br /> Lawmakers made the 30th day of their 40-day session "crossover day" in hopes that proposed laws would get enough consideration by both chambers. In past years, it has led to marathon days where bill sponsors speeding through their proposals to make sure their legislation is called up for a vote before midnight.<br /> <br /> Yet if Day 29 is any indication, this year's crossover day may be tame by comparison. Last year, House lawmakers spent that day in their chamber until midnight, considering last-minute bills. This time around, lawmakers in both chambers were done long before the sun set.<br /> <br /> Tuesday's House schedule includes 33 proposals, though dozens more could be added as the day progresses. The Senate hasn't set it's schedule yet. And although the calendar could last for hours, few bills are expected to garner much debate.<br /> <br /> Among the most watched is a House bill that would compensate billboard owners when they have to move their signs, which critics say could cripple local governments' power to regulate the signs. Another proposal would allow residents in some school districts to elect their school superintendents instead of leaving it up to the local school board.<br /> <br /> And key House and Senate members said they could be nearing a compromise for a tax increase to fund transportation projects.<br /> <br /> "Before we leave this session, we hope we come up with a package that will be beneficial to 9.5 million people in the state of Georgia," said state Rep. Vance Smith, who chairs the House Transportation Committee.<br /> <br /> Lobbyists will be prowling the Capitol halls, each pushing a pet issue.<br /> <br /> Some are hoping the House will vote to permit Sunday alcohol sales at grocery stores by tacking the proposal onto another bill that cleared the Senate allowing beer to be sold at larger stadiums.<br /> <br /> It's unclear whether the House will endorse a much-debated plan that passed the Senate to curb obesity by requiring Georgia students to weigh in twice a year. Some Republicans who oppose the plan have labeled it a "nanny state" bill.<br /> <br /> And Georgia hospitals are pushing hard to keep the state from backing a Senate bill allowing a Chicago-based cancer treatment center to bypass traditional regulations so it may open a 50-bed treatment center here.<br /> <br /> Perdue's agenda has received a cool reception so far.<br /> <br /> His plan to eliminate the state portion of property taxes - worth about $30 a household - has passed the state Senate but not the House.<br /> <br /> And neither chamber has passed the $21.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2009. Passing the state budget is the only thing the state Legislature is constitutionally required to do.

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