Sine Die at the Capitol and What it Means for You
Sine Die is the last day of the legislative session – and in Georgia this year, Sine Die is April 2.
On the day of Sine Die, the House of Representatives and the Senate have until midnight to wrap up their tasks for the legislative session.
It is an important day for citizen activity and influence because if a bill they support doesn’t pass by the end of Sine Die, it dies.
If it is Sine Die for the last year of a two-year period (biennium), the bill dies for good and must be reintroduced the next year. This April 2 is the last day of the two-year period in Georgia.
Explanation of the Biennium
Georgia, like half of the U.S. states, operates on a two-year session. . This period is called a biennium, meaning two years (Latin, from bi- + annus, year). Bills introduced in the first year carry over to the second year without needing to be reintroduced. After the two-year period, they die and must be reintroduced the next year.
In Georgia, we are at the end of the biennium, so it is important to do everything we can to keep bills we like moving forward and passed, so they don’t die, and we have to start all over next year.
You Can Make a Difference
A Long and Meaningful Day
Sine Die is a long day and can officially last until midnight. However, if you are concerned about Georgia’s future and that of our country, you will want to be there – the entire day if possible. So, rearrange your work schedule, arrange for childcare, participate in a carpool, bring your snacks – do whatever you have to do to be at the Capitol on Sine Di, April 2.
It will be a day of Importance – a day to remember and a day that goes to the heart of what our founding fathers expected of us.
“Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty.” Samuel Adams
What Actions you can Take at the Capitol on Sine Die
You can track the movement of bills that are important to you and engage with legislators to get those bills over the finish line.
Make sure you are prepared with the bill numbers and know your talking points. You can learn about some of the bills that are up for vote HERE in Mallorly Staples’s Substack.
Activities of Citizen Engagement:
Citizens can observe in the House and Senate gallery,
But more importantly, they can interact with their legislators at the Rope. (The Rope is where legislators go into the chamber and accept the public.) You can call them to the rope and have a discussion.
Citizens can also hold up signs promoting bills.
They can also visit the legislator’s office to speak with staff and legislators.
They can catch legislators as they walk back and forth between meeting rooms.
Legislative Activity on Sine Die
The deadline creates a sense of rush that can result in the last-minute approval of laws (or the failure of bills that don’t get support in time for the deadline). Therefore, there is likely to be a flurry of activity between the two chambers (the House of Representatives and the Senate).
Keep track of where your bills are, so you can speak to legislators at the rope, in the hall, etc.
Floor Amendments
A bill might need to go back and forth between chambers to reach an agreement on final language. If one chamber amends a bill that originated in the other chamber, the bill must go back to the original chamber for a vote on the changes.
This is called a floor amendment or a floor substitute.
If the House and Senate each have passed different versions of the same bill and each insists on its version of the bill, then a conference committee comes into play to hash out the differences. The conference committee is usually composed of 6 people – 3 from each chamber.
Once the conference committee has made its report (Conference Committee Report), then the House or the Senate votes on the compromise bill. Once the report comes out of conference, the House or the Senate must pass it as it is. – it can’t be changed anymore
If there is still disagreement and that committee doesn’t work, then another conference committee can be tried.
The Rules Committee
The rules committee in the Georgia General Assembly (both House and Senate) is a powerful, procedural committee responsible for determining which bills, after passing committee, advance to the floor for a vote.
The rules committee is very important on Sine Die because they can block legislation even if it looks like it would have passed otherwise.
They can also add language from failed bills to an existing bill. This is called a vehicle. They can do this as long as the existing bill is relevant to the same title (code section).
No bill is technically dead until sine die.
Again, it’s an important day, and what happens in Georgia on Sine Die affects you, your family, your community, Georgia, and the country. Stay alert and active to the very end.
When the final gavel of Sine die Strikes
Celebrations
The responsibilities of the governor after the legislative session has concluded
After the legislative session ends in Georgia, with the Sine Die adjournment ceremony, the Governor has a 40-day window to approve or veto bills passed during the session. If the Governor takes no action within this timeframe, the bills will be automatically passed into law.
This post-session period is significant. It gives the executive branch the opportunity to thoroughly examine the legislation before deciding whether to approve it.
Please participate
Even if you don’t believe you can help – please come. Helping our state starts with a sense of purpose. We will guide you on the rest.
Remember – when Benjamin Franklin was once asked what type of government the Constitutional Convention adopted, his cautionary response was,
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
