Bill Text: GA SB303 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Board of Education of Stewart County; reconstitute the board of education

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-03-20 - Effective Date [SB303 Detail]

Download: Georgia-2011-SB303-Introduced.html

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12 LC 37 1290

Senate Bill 303

By: Senator Hooks of the 14th

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

To amend an Act relating to the Board of Education of Stewart County and providing for the election of the members thereof, approved March 21, 1969 (Ga. L. 1969, p. 2264), as amended, so as to reconstitute the board of education; to change the description of the education districts; to provide for definitions and inclusions; to provide for continuation in office of current members; to provide for election and terms of office of subsequent members; to provide for submission of this Act for approval under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended; to provide for effective dates; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

An Act relating to the Board of Education of Stewart County and providing for the election of the members thereof, approved March 21, 1969 (Ga. L. 1969, p. 2264), as amended, is amended by striking Section 1 of said Act and inserting in its place the following:

"SECTION 1.

(a) The Board of Education of Stewart County shall be composed of five members who shall be elected as provided in this section from education districts as provided in this section.

(b) For purposes of electing members of the board of education, the Stewart County School District is divided into five education districts. One member of the board shall be elected from each such district. The five education districts shall be and correspond to those five numbered districts described in and attached to and made a part of this Act and further identified as 'Plan: stewartccsb-2011 Plan Type: Local User: admin'.

(c)(1) When used in such attachment, the term 'VTD' (voting tabulation district) shall mean and describe the same geographical boundaries as provided in the report of the Bureau of the Census for the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia.

(2) The separate numeric designations in a district description which are underneath a VTD heading shall mean and describe individual Blocks within a VTD as provided in the report of the Bureau of the Census for the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia. Any part of the Stewart County School District which is not included in any such district described in that attachment shall be included within that district contiguous to such part which contains the least population according to the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia.

(3) Any part of the Stewart County School District which is described in that attachment as being in a particular district shall nevertheless not be included within such district if such part is not contiguous to such district. Such noncontiguous part shall instead be included within that district contiguous to such part which contains the least population according to the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia.

(4) Except as otherwise provided in the description of any education district, whenever the description of such district refers to a named city, it shall mean the geographical boundaries of that city as shown on the census map for the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia.

(d) Those members of the Board of Education of Stewart County who are serving as such on December 31, 2012, and any person selected to fill a vacancy in any such office shall continue to serve as such members until the regular expiration of their respective terms of office and upon the election and qualification of their respective successors.

(e) At the general election on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in November 2014, members of the board shall be elected from Education Districts 2 and 3, shall take office the first day of January immediately following that election, and shall serve for initial terms of office which expire on December 31, 2018, and upon the election and qualification of their respective successors. At the general election on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in November 2012, members of the board shall be elected from Education Districts 1, 4, and 5, shall take office the first day of January immediately following that election, and shall serve for initial terms of office which expire on December 31, 2016, and upon the election and qualification of their respective successors. Those and all future successors to members of the board whose terms of office are to expire shall be elected at the time of the state-wide general election immediately preceding the expiration of such terms, shall take office the first day of January immediately following that election, and shall serve for terms of office of four years each. Members of the board shall serve for the terms of office specified therefor in this subsection and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. Education Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as they exist on December 31, 2012, shall continue to be designated as Education Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively, but as newly described under this Act, and on and after January 1, 2013, such members of the board serving from those former education districts shall be deemed to be serving from and representing their respective districts as newly described under this Act.

(f) All members of the board of education who are elected thereto shall be nominated and elected in accordance with Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the 'Georgia Election Code,' in nonpartisan primaries and elections as provided in Code Section 21-2-139 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated."

SECTION 2.

The Board of Education of Stewart County shall through its legal counsel cause this Act to be submitted for preclearance under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended; and such submission shall be made to the United States Department of Justice or filed with the appropriate court no later than 45 days after the date on which this Act is approved by the Governor or otherwise becomes law without such approval.

SECTION 3.

This section and Section 2 of this Act and those provisions of this Act necessary for the election of members of the Board of Education of Stewart County in 2012 shall become effective upon the approval of this Act by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval. The remaining provisions of this Act shall become effective January 1, 2013.

SECTION 4.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.