Legislators and lobbyists alike faced a new reality under the Gold Dome in 2021 as the legislative session began amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. After the second half of last year’s bifurcated session provided a framework for working through socially distanced meetings and longer than normal floor votes, the legislature hit the ground running — eventually introducing over 2,000 individual pieces of legislation. Yet, COVID-19 was far from the only factor rattling the sense of normalcy in Peach State politics in 2021.