Georgia Lawmakers Have Been Debating Elections, But Other Work Needs Attention In The Next Week

ATLANTA (AP) — While election legislation has dominated discussion in the 2021 General Assembly, Georgia lawmakers have a lot of other work to accomplish in the next week. An annual deadline called crossover is looming on March 8. By then, bills must by passed by their original chamber or fail for the year. That doesn’t mean the issue that a bill dealt with is dead for the year, as there are ways to revive legislation that had appeared dead. But when a bill fails to advance from the original chamber, it can often show a lack of support. Some measures have already passed one chamber, including paid parental leave for state and school employees, and a renewal of Georgia’s law protecting businesses and others from being sued if someone blames them for contracting COVID-19. Here’s a look at some issues that have yet to pass either the House or Senate:

CITIZEN’S ARREST

Lawmakers, civil rights advocates and Gov. Brian Kemp have announced a broad agreement to abolish Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law, which lets a private citizen make an arrest if a crime is committed in the person’s presence. The law came under scrutiny in the wake of last year’s shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery near Brunswick. One prosecutor who examined the case ruled that there wasn’t probable cause to arrest Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael, later charged with murder, because the McMichaels believed Arbery had committed a crime and were attempting a citizen’s arrest. House Bill 479 would let business employees and security guards detain people they believe stole something. But if a police officer or sheriff’s deputy doesn’t arrive within an hour, someone who is detained must be released along with their personal belongings. People who are just bystanders or witnesses generally would not have the right to detain people.