On the second Monday of every year, the Georgia General Assembly convenes for a 40 day session.
The General Assembly is our state's legislative body.
Located in the capital of Atlanta, it's where state laws are written, debated, and amended.
The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Much of the work in the General Assembly concerns bills.
A bill is a draft of a proposed law.
It's presented to a legislative body for approval.
There are two types of bills: general and local.
A general bill applies statewide.
A local bill concerns a law at the city or county level.
All bills are written to amend the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
This is a compilation of laws for Georgia.
In order for a bill to become a law, it has to pass through many stages.
First, it's filed with a clerk at the House or the Secretary of the Senate.
In Georgia, only legislators in the House and Senate can introduce bills.
However, any bill to raise or spend money must originate in the House.
The presiding officers of each chamber take the next step.
In the House, the presiding officer is called the Speaker of the House.
The presiding officer of the Senate is the State Lieutenant Governor.
After a bill is introduced, the Speaker or Lieutenant Governor assigns the bill to a standing committee.
Standing committees are the heart of the legislative process.
A standing committee is a small group of legislators that reviews and considers bills for approval.
A standing committee gathers and studies the facts related to the bill.
Testimony is heard from experts on the subject.
Legislators who favor or oppose the bill are called to speak.
Citizens have a chance to comment on the bill as well.
Unlike the General Assembly, which meets once a year for 40 days, a standing committee may meet year round.
The committees cover a range of subjects, like transportation, education, energy, and agriculture.
A standing committee decides the next step for a bill.
They have several options.
They can report the bill back to the House favorably, with or without amendments.
They can report out a substitute bill.
They can report a bill with a "Do Not Pass" recommendation.
Or they can hold the bill from consideration.
Once the bill has come out of committee, it's put on a rules calendar.
Prepared by the Rules Committee every evening during the legislative session,
the rules calendar determines what bills will be introduced and when.
Presiding officers now present the bill to the chamber.
The bills are called up one by one and debate takes place.
Legislative members may come forward to speak at the well, a podium at the front of the chamber.
Board legislators may ask questions from their desk.
After debate, the vote is held.
Legislators vote yea or nay through an electronic voting system.
A majority of votes is required for passage of the bill.
In the smaller 56-member Senate, that's 29 votes.
The larger 180-member House requires 91 votes for a bill to pass.
Identical bills must pass the House of Representatives and the Senate to become law.
A passed bill is sent from one house to another.
If the second house amends the bill, it is sent back to the house where it originated.
That house can accept or refuse the bill.
If the bill is refused, it's sent back to the other chamber
and the house that added amendments can remove them or stand firm.
If the two houses cannot agree on the particulars of a bill,
it moves to the Conference Committee, which consists of three members of each house.
The Conference Committee tries to forge a compromise acceptable to both houses,
and then writes a report that is presented to the Senate and House of Representatives.
The last stage of the legislative process involves the executive branch of state government,
the governor's office.
In general, the governor receives most bills at the end of the legislative session,
at which time the governor has 40 days to act on the bill.
The governor has three options:
Sign the bill into law,
veto the bill,
or do nothing.
If the bill is vetoed, it is sent back to the house where it was introduced.
The bill may or may not then overcome a veto.
Two-thirds of both houses must vote for the bill to override the veto.
If the governor does nothing with the bill, it becomes law after the 40-day period has expired.