ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia lawmakers approved an expanded state Supreme Court and stun guns on college campuses Tuesday amid a flurry of other bills, working late into the night to vote on proposals before the legislative session ends later this week.
Lawmakers plan to adjourn for the year Thursday, which marks the 40th working day of the session.
Leaders set an aggressive schedule this year, because all House and Senate districts will be on the November ballot. Members running for re-election are in a hurry to return home and begin campaigning.
Georgia’s Supreme Court would grow to nine justices under a bill headed to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk.
The proposal, backed by Deal, would allow the Republican governor to make a lasting impact on the state’s highest court. Georgia’s constitution already permits up to nine justices, but state law provides for seven.
Under the bill, Deal would appoint justices to fill the new high court seats.
Sen. Mike Crane, a Republican from Newnan, unsuccessfully proposed an amendment to make the new justices elected rather than appointed.
“We should not grant to the administration the ability to pack a court for partisan reasons,” Crane said.
The measure also removes some types of court cases from the Supreme Court’s responsibilities, following a recommendation made by a panel Deal appointed last year.
Another bill approved by the Senate allows students older than 18 to carry stun guns on college campuses. The bill returns to the House, which did not include the age requirement in its version of the proposal.
Lawmakers already voted this year to lift a weapons ban on Georgia’s college campuses and permit licensed gun owners to carry concealed handguns on campuses. Deal has not said whether he will sign that bill and asked lawmakers to make some changes regarding day cares, disciplinary hearings and faculty offices.
But lawmakers passed up several opportunities to make Deal’s requested changes while discussing other minor bills that deal with firearms. For example, the House approved two minor bills regarding firearms rights for judges and retired law enforcement.
The Senate also made no changes to a bill preventing financial institutions from refusing services to legal gun or ammunition sellers. That concept already passed the Senate in February. The original bill got no traction in the House, so senators tacked it on to another item.
The House churned through bills on Tuesday, giving final approval to a bill allowing health care workers from other states to work in Georgia during emergency situations, sending it to the governor’s desk. Members tried to force a Senate vote on several proposals already approved by the House, including making “the adoptable dog” the state’s official dog and creating a state tax credit for people donating money to struggling rural hospitals.
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