The Georgia General Assembly convened for special session on August 15th. The focus of special session is redrawing the state’s legislative and congressional districts. Redistricting occurs after every decennial census where the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives are redistributed among the 50 states based on population shifts. After the seats are reapportioned, the state legislature redraws the House and Senate districts to reflect the population shifts throughout the state. The maps were approved in the House and Senate Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee on August 16th and could receive final approval as soon as this week.
Besides redistricting, Governor Deal has asked state legislators to reconsider changing the date of the regional transportation referendum from July 31st to the general election on November 6th. In 2012, voters will have the opportunity to vote for a 1% regional sales tax to fund regional transportation projects over 10 years. Many state and regional leaders believe changing the date will increase voter turnout and give the transportation referendum a better chance of passing in 2012. The bill unanimously passed out of the House Transportation Committee on August 17th and now waits consideration by the entire House. You can learn more at the links below.
Regional Transportation Sales Tax Date Change Legislation