“Extra-Inning” Special Session to Redraw Districts
Psst! They Can Pass Other Bills, too!
The Constitution of the State of Georgia authorizes the governor to convene a special session by issuing a proclamation, citing its purpose, and setting the time and date for it to commence. At the end of each decade, when the Census tallies are available, the General Assembly must equally divide the state population into 180 State House Districts, 56 State Senate Districts and 14 U.S. Congressional Districts. Districts are re-drawn to adjust for population changes during the past decade and meet the constitutional requirement of equal representation for everyone. Since the Census Bureau has indicated additional information will be sent in August, Georgia‘s
special session is expected to convene in September. So, consider what happened a decade ago.
2011 Governor Deal’s Call: On August 10, 2011, Governor Nathan Deal, joined by House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, issued a proclamation and letter, calling for the 2011 special session to convene Monday, August 15, at 10 a.m. (a) to redraw district maps for the Georgia House, Georgia Senate and U.S. Congress, (b) make technical changes to the 2012 TSPLOST referendum and (c) ratify the governor‘s gasoline tax rate freeze.
2011 Special Session: By August 31, 2011, the House had introduced 64 bills and the Senate had introduced 10 bills, some of which drew new district lines for local boards of education and county commissions. When the session ended the first week of September, 2011, it was dubbed, ―The shortest special session in Georgia history,‖ as well as, ―The most transparent and inclusive re-drawing of Georgia‘s political boundaries in modern history. Among legislation that passed during that special session, Governor Deal signed the following:
- H.B. 1EX Reapportion and Redraw Georgia‘s 180 Districts for the House of Representatives
- H.B. 2EX Limited Time Tax Exemption for Motor Fuel and Aviation Gasoline
- H.B. 20EX Redistrict Congressional Maps for 14 Members of Congress (Increased from 13)
- S.B. 1EX Composition and Number of State Senatorial Districts
I said all that to say this …
1. After each Census, governors call a reapportionment and redistricting special session.
2. Georgia‘s call is made by a proclamation explaining the agenda, which may be amended.
3. Governor Kemp‘s agenda for the 2021 special session should include passage of laws that Prohibit Mandatory Vaccination for COVID-19 and Vaccine ―Passports‖
Prohibit teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) in public schools K-12 and higher learning.
Read more on the Special Session and other newsletter items here.