Deal Signs Redistricting Maps, Delays TSPLOST Decision

The State of Georgia now has new state House and state Senate legislative districts.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed the district maps on Wednesday, Aug. 24 praising the General Assembly for an “open, transparent process that produced compact districts and kept communities of interest together.”

For Dacula, .

Legislators are currently working on the . The proposed map moves Dacula out of Rep. Rob Woodall’s 7th District and into the 10th District currently represented by Paul Broun.

“Georgians can be proud of what their legislators produced in these new maps,” said Deal in a released statement. “After all the shenanigans we saw 10 years ago with multimember districts and outrageous gerrymandering, we have upheld our vow to keep communities together. House and Senate leaders held hearings across the state and worked individually with members of both parties. Both bodies produced maps that obey federal laws and honor the one-person-one-vote principle. The maps also pass the ‘optics test,’ meaning that a casual viewer could look at the districts and tell they make sense. It’s a benefit to our state and a benefit to our taxpayers that we have accomplished this important part of the special session so quickly. I’m proud to sign my name to these maps which will shape our General Assembly for the next decade.”

The special state legislative session began Aug. 15. Though the primary purpose of the session is to draw new legislative district maps, state lawmakers have also affirmed Deal’s freezing of the state gas tax rate, which will result in a savings of almost $40 million for motorists.

The General Assembly was also set to consider , but yesterday reached an agreement to delay deliberations.

“We’ve had a healthy debate on the TSPLOST referendum date here at the Gold Dome,” Deal said. “I’m a supporter of the referendum, and I believe it’s important to job creation and economic development throughout Georgia. I further believe that it is a sound conservative principle to allow as many taxpayers as possible to participate in this important decision. Our time during this special session, however, is precious, and it’s now obvious that it will take too much time to reach a consensus on changing the date. It’s best for taxpayers that we not let this special session drag on. Redistricting was our priority, and we have delivered a great product.”