Georgia House Republicans made a late bid Friday to change the district boundaries for eight Republicans and one Democrat. The one Democrat, Rep. Sheila Jones, D-Atlanta, is not happy. Jones said she didn’t know about House Bill 515 until it was being presented to the Reapportionment Committee late Wednesday afternoon. The House voted 108-59 on Friday to approve the bill, which allowed it meet the “Crossover Day” deadline for bills to pass from one chamber to another without parliamentary maneuvering. The House vote came just three days after the bill was first introduced; most bills take weeks or months to reach the House floor.
HB 515 takes two, predominantly white, precincts from Jones’ district 53 and gives them to Rep. Rich Golick, R-Smyrna. In exchange, Jones gets two predominantly minority precincts.
Jones said she had not been told the bill was coming.
“This bill was introduced at the 11th hour without the courtesy of informing me of what was going on in the district I represent,” Jones said Friday. “Regardless of the party, notice is fair and customary.”
Full Article: House GOP tweaks district maps as Democrats cry foul.