top of page
Search

Crossover Day Has Passed. Here Is Where Things Stand.

  • 2 hours ago
  • 6 min read

Crossover Day was March 6. That was the deadline for any bill introduced this session to pass at least one chamber or be considered dead. The session still runs through April 2, which means bills that already crossed over in 2025, or that cleared one chamber this year before the deadline, are still in play. Your calls still matter. Here is what happened to every bill we have been tracking.



WINS: We got what we wanted.


SB 568 did not survive the deadline. The bill to end county-wide early voting, mandate error-prone hand counts before November, and dramatically expand the State Election Board's power to purge voters is dead for this session. We opposed it. It failed. The bill's sponsor has said he may attempt to fold provisions into SB 214, an election bill already waiting for a House committee vote. Watch that vehicle.


HB 1223, the bill that would have let police departments permanently hide body camera footage of people they kill, died in House committee. Lawmakers from both parties expressed hesitation about its scope and never called a vote. We opposed this bill. It's dead for now. Watch for zombie bill language.


HB 441, the total abortion ban that would have criminalized abortion from fertilization with no exceptions for rape or incest, stalled in the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. The chairman never called a vote. We opposed this bill. It died on Crossover Day. It will be back next session.


HB 1509, the bill that would have required special use permits for immigration detention centers, was introduced so late in the session that it never made it out of its first reading. Dead for this session.



LOSSES: We wanted these to pass. They didn't.


SB 389, SB 390, SB 391, and SB 397 — the Democratic accountability bills requiring ICE agents to show identification, protecting schools and hospitals from immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant, preserving state control over National Guard deployments, and creating civil liability for federal constitutional violations — all died in Senate committee without a floor vote. We supported all four of these bills. Republicans control the chamber and none were given a hearing. These bills are on the record and the fight continues.



STILL IN PLAY. CALLS NEEDED NOW.


The session ends April 2. Every bill below is still moving. These are all bills we oppose.


SB 21 | Forced ICE Cooperation / Punishment for Sanctuary Policies


SB 21 strips sovereign immunity from local governments and forces sheriffs and jailers to honor all ICE detainer requests. It passed the Georgia Senate in 2025 and is currently in the House Rules Committee, where bills sit immediately before a floor vote. This is the most urgent bill on this list. A floor vote could happen any day between now and April 2.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to vote NO on SB 21. This bill forces local governments and schools to act as federal immigration agents and opens teachers, sheriffs, and local officials to personal lawsuits. ICE detainers are frequently issued in error, even against U.S. citizens. This bill will make immigrant families afraid to use schools and hospitals and does not make Georgia safer. Please vote no on SB 21."




SB 74 | Librarian Criminalization


SB 74 removes legal protections for librarians and exposes them to criminal prosecution for allowing minors access to materials deemed harmful, including content about LGBTQ people. It passed the Senate in 2025, cleared a House committee in February 2026, and is now waiting for a House floor vote that could come at any time.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to vote NO on SB 74. This bill would expose librarians to criminal charges and jail time for doing their jobs. Georgia's obscenity laws include LGBTQ content in the definition of harmful material. This bill will force self-censorship and strip communities of access to books. Please vote no."




HB 54 | Trans Healthcare Ban


HB 54 bans puberty blockers for minors and strips gender-affirming care from the state employee health plan. The Senate added these amendments in 2026 and the House still needs to vote on whether to concur with those changes.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to reject the Senate amendments to HB 54. These amendments ban medical care that families and doctors rely on and strip coverage from transgender state employees. Medical decisions belong to patients, families, and doctors, not the General Assembly. Please vote to reject the Senate amendments."




SB 116 | Forced DNA Collection from Immigrants


SB 116 requires DNA collection from anyone in a Georgia detention facility who has an immigration detainer and has been charged but not convicted of any crime. It passed the Senate and is now in the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to vote NO on SB 116. This bill would force DNA collection from immigrants who have only been charged, not convicted, based on an ICE detainer that may be issued in error. This expands a surveillance database that will be used against innocent people. Please vote no."




SB 443 | Criminalizing Protest


SB 443 passed the Senate on March 3 and now moves to the House. The bill imposes a minimum $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison for obstructing any highway, street, sidewalk, or other public passage. The language is broad enough to be used against peaceful demonstrators. If you have ever marched, picketed, or stood on a sidewalk with a sign, this bill is aimed at you.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to vote NO on SB 443. This bill imposes mandatory minimum fines and prison time for obstructing public passages. The language is so broad it could be used to criminalize peaceful protest and demonstration. The right to assemble and make our voices heard is fundamental. Please vote no."




SB 591 | Disruption of Religious Services


SB 591 passed the Senate on March 6 and now heads to the House. It creates new criminal penalties for disrupting a religious service. Existing law already covers funerals and memorials. The concern here is the same as with SB 443: broad language that can be weaponized against demonstrators near houses of worship.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Rep. Name] to vote NO on SB 591. Georgia law already protects against genuine disruptions. This bill creates new tools that can be used against peaceful assembly near churches and other religious spaces. Please vote no."




HB 397 | Election Administration — Watch This Closely


This one requires special attention. HB 397 passed the House in 2025. The Senate then passed a different substitute version. The two chambers never reconciled their differences, which means the bill is still alive and sitting in the Senate Ethics Committee headed into the final weeks of the 2026 session. In its current form the bill gives House and Senate leaders new power to remove State Election Board members. But the bigger danger is what Republicans could add to it before April 2. SB 568 — the sweeping election overhaul that failed on the Senate floor — could reappear inside HB 397 before this session is over. Voting rights advocates warned when this vehicle strategy was first deployed in 2025 that the bill could be used to move whatever election legislation Republicans wanted without public scrutiny. That warning still applies.


Call Script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to urge [Sen. Name] to oppose any amendments to HB 397 that would restrict voting access, mandate hand-counted ballots, limit early voting locations, or expand the State Election Board's power to purge voters. Georgians already rejected SB 568. Those provisions should not be added to another bill behind closed doors. Please keep HB 397 clean or vote no."



For more call scripts on these and other Georgia bills, visit https://gafasttrack.com/

 
 
 

Comments


bottom of page