A Senate committee ended the first few days of the General Assembly special session by voting for a Republican legislative map. The vote was expected given the GOP majority under the Gold Dome, but Democrats blasted the committee for not allowing time for public input.
“Never did we imagine that a little more than 48 hours after the start of the special session, this committee would consider voting on a proposal that Georgians have had for less than 72 hours,” said Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain), Senate Minority Leader. “It cannot do so without making a mockery of this process.”
While the Senate Reappointment and Redistricting Committee released the Republican map on Tuesday, Sen. John Kennedy, committee chairman, pointed to the hours of public input at 11 hearings across the state both in person and virtually in June and July.
“Our website portal received over 700 messages, emails, various forms of communication,” Kennedy said.
Much of the discussion on all the maps focused on the controversial issues surrounding drawing maps that split districts, municipalities, or counties. Maps for both parties contained some of those issues.
On the House side, the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee listened as both the Democratic caucus presented its map, followed by a review of the Republican map. The committee took no formal action.
The Senate’s legislative bill with the map could go before the full chamber sometime next week.
This article appears on Now Habersham through a news partnership with GPB News
