BILL YEARTA: Redistricting done, officials look toward 2022 legislative session

Friday brought to a close the second week of the 2021 special legislative session. It was a productive week as the House and Senate each passed legislation related to the redistricting process.

In addition to our legislative business, we also took time to honor our veterans as we gathered for a special ceremony and were joined by several veterans who shared their remarks on what it personally meant to serve our great nation. Many of my own House colleagues have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and it was an honor to join them as we remembered those who dedicated their lives to defending our freedom and democracy.

Prior to our Veterans Day celebration, the week began with two additional hearings, led by the House Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee. These meetings were held to receive public commentary on the proposed House district map, released during our first week of the Special Session. On Tuesday, we passed the proposed map, also known as HB1X, by committee substitute. Following a successful passage, the bill then went to the House Rules Committee, where it was scheduled for a vote on the House floor, successfully passing on Wednesday. This bill will now undergo the same committee review process in the Senate. You can view a copy of this map, including the updated boundary lines for our House Districts on the General Assembly Website.

While our proposed map was under consideration before Georgia’s 180 House members, our colleagues in the state Senate continued their work on the updated map for Georgia’s 56 state Senate districts. Senate Bill 1EX, successfully passed the Senate floor on Tuesday. The bill has already been approved through the House Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee and is expected to come before the House for a vote this week. The Senate also will begin reviewing the House district map. If both are approved, the maps will then head to the governor’s desk for his final approval.

If you are curious about our state’s redistricting process, I encourage you to research this procedure on the nonpartisan Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office’s webpage. This webpage includes all current and proposed maps, an online portal to submit and read public comments about the process, an informational video about the redistricting process as well as many other helpful resources.

While my attention is currently focused on redistricting, I am also using this time to prepare for the 2022 regular legislative session, which will convene in January. It is important to remember that there are a number of hot topics still up for debate, as all legislation introduced in 2021 is still up for consideration. Please be on the lookout for future updates covering your government at work. In the meantime, I encourage you to contact me regarding the redistricting process or any other topics that are important to our community. Thank you for allowing me the honor of serving as your voice under the Gold Dome.