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2021 Georgia legislative session

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2021 Georgia legislative session
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General information
Session start:    January 11, 2021

Session end:    March 31, 2021

Leadership
Senate President
Geoff Duncan (R)

House Speaker
David Ralston (R)
Majority Leader
Senate: Mike Dugan (R)
House: Jon Burns (R)
Minority Leader
Senate: Gloria Butler (D)
House: James Beverly (D)

Elections
Next Election:    November 8, 2022

Last Election:    November 3, 2020

Previous legislative sessions
2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2021 legislative sessions


In 2021, the Georgia State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 11, 2021, and adjourn on March 31, 2021.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Republicans won a 34-22 majority in the Senate and a 103-77 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2021 session, Georgia was one of 28 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

The Georgia State Legislature is responsible for redistricting following each census. Legislators were expected to address redistricting as part of the 2021 legislative session. As of the 2020 Census, Georgia was one of 37 states where legislators were responsible for redistricting.

At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session:
  • Republicans held a majority in the Georgia state House and state Senate.
  • Georgia was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas.
  • Georgia's governor was Republican Brian Kemp.

    • Leadership in 2021

    Georgia State Senate

    Georgia House of Representatives

    Partisan control in 2021

    See also: State government trifectas

    Georgia was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2021 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Georgia was also one of 28 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Georgia State Legislature in the 2021 legislative session.

    Georgia State Senate

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 22
         Republican Party 34
    Total 56

    Georgia House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 77
         Republican Party 103
    Total 180

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2021 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2021. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census

    Georgia's 14 United States representatives and 236 state legislators are all elected from political divisions called districts. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. Federal law stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

    Congressional districts
    Litigation over congressional redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census is ongoing.

    On December 30, 2021, a group of voters filed a lawsuit alleging that the congressional map drawn after the 2020 census violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and that the legislature should have created another majority-Black district in the Atlanta region.[1] A federal judge struck down the congressional map on October 26, 2023, ordering the state to draw a new map. On December 28, 2023, the judge upheld the state's remedial map, and plaintiffs appealed the judge's approval of the remedial map in January 2024. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case in January 2025.[2] The congressional and legislative map challenges were consolidated.

    Click here for more information.

    Legislative districts
    Litigation over state legislative redistricting in Georgia after the 2020 census is ongoing.

    On December 30, 2021, a group of organizations and voters filed a lawsuit alleging that the legislative maps drawn after the 2020 census violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of the state's Black voters.[3] A federal judge struck down the legislative maps on October 26, 2023, ordering the state to draw new maps. On December 28, 2023, the judge upheld the state's remedial maps, and plaintiffs appealed the judge's approval of the remedial map in January 2024. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case in January 2025.[4] The congressional and legislative map challenges were consolidated.

    Click here for more information.

    See the sections below for further information on the following topics:

    1. Summary: This section provides summary information about the drafting and enacting processes.
    2. Enactment: This section provides information about the enacted congressional and state legislative district maps.
    3. Drafting process: This section details the drafting process for new congressional and state legislative district maps.
    4. Apportionment and release of census data: This section details the 2020 apportionment process, including data from the United States Census Bureau.
    5. Court challenges: This section details court challenges to the enacted congressional and state legislative district maps.
    6. Background: This section summarizes federal and state-based requirements for redistricting at both the congressional and state legislative levels. A summary of the 2010 redistricting cycle in Georgia is also provided.

    To learn more about the redistricting process in Georgia after the 2020 census, click here.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Georgia state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session, there were 67 standing committees in Georgia's state government, including 1 joint legislative committees, 28 state Senate committees, and 38 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    Senate committees

    House committees

    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Georgia Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article X of the Georgia Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Georgia

    The Georgia Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution— a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. Georgia requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Georgia State Legislature to place an amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 120 votes in the Georgia House of Representatives and 38 votes in the Georgia State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    Georgia: According to Paragraph IV of Article X of the Georgia Constitution, a constitutional convention can occur in Georgia if a two-thirds majority of the members of both houses of the Georgia General Assembly agree to hold it. That agreement does not need to be put to a vote of the people.[5]



    Historical context:

    • A total of 84 measures appeared on the statewide ballot in Georgia from 1996 to 2020.
    • From 1996 through 2020, the number of measures on statewide ballots during even-numbered years ranged from two to 12.
    • From 1996 through 2020, an average of seven measures appeared on the ballot in Georgia during even-numbered election years.
    • Between 1996 and 2020, about 85.5% (71 of 84) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during even-numbered years were approved, and about 15.5% percent (13 of 84) were defeated.
    Georgia statewide ballot measures during even-numbered election years, 1996-2020
    Total number Approved Percent approved Defeated Percent defeated Annual average Annual minimum Annual maximum
    84 71 84.5% 13 15.5% 7 2 12


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Georgia.

    Georgia Party Control: 1992-2025
    Eleven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-one years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    Historical Senate control

    From 1992 to 2020, the Georgia State Senate switched from Democratic control to a Republican majority, with the chamber changing hands in the days following the 2002 elections. Prior to 2002, the chamber had been under solid Democratic control since the years immediately following the Civil War. The partisan change in the chamber coincided with the American South's shift from nearly 175 years of Democratic dominance to being solid Republican by the early 21st century. The table below shows the partisan history of the Georgia State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Georgia State Senate election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 41 35 34 34 32 26 22 22 22 20 18 18 18 21 22
    Republicans 15 21 22 22 24 30 34 34 34 36 38 38 38 35 34

    Before 2002, Democrats had controlled the Georgia Senate since the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction. From 1874 to 1962, Republicans never controlled more than two seats in the chamber after an election. It was not until 1986 that Republicans captured 10 seats in the chamber. Still, their gains were small in the two elections that followed and the chamber majority remained out of reach.

    In 1992, Republicans went from 11 seats in the chamber to 15. In the 1994 election, they picked up six more seats and eclipsed the 20-seat mark. Their gains stagnated in the elections from 1996 to 2000 as they gained just three seats. In 2002, Republicans gained a majority in the chamber, even though they did not win the most seats in the election. Three Democratic state senators switched to the Republican Party in the days following the election. The new Republican majority coincided with the election of Gov. Sonny Perdue, Georgia's first Republican governor since the 1800s.[6]

    Republicans picked up four more seats in the 2004 elections and held a 34-22 majority until the 2010 elections when they picked up two additional seats. In 2012, they won another two seats, which they held through the 2016 elections. With 38 seats, Republicans controlled two-thirds of the chambers, which is enough for a supermajority that can certify constitutional amendments for the ballot and override gubernatorial vetoes. Republicans lost four seats between 2018 and 2020. The chamber's Republican gains from 2010 through 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Historical House control

    From 1992 to 2020, the Georgia House of Representatives flipped from Democratic control to a Republican majority, with the chamber changing hands in the 2004 elections. Prior to 2004, the chamber had been under solid Democratic control since the years immediately following the Civil War. The partisan change in the chamber coincided with the American South's shift from nearly 175 years of Democratic dominance to being solid Republican by the early 21st century. The table below shows the partisan history of the Georgia House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Georgia House of Representatives election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 128 114 106 102 105 106 86 74 75 66 60 59 62 74 76
    Republicans 52 66 74 78 74 73 94 106 105 113 119 120 118 106 103

    Before 2004, Democrats had controlled the Georgia House since the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction. From 1888 to 1964, Republicans never controlled more than 10 seats in the chamber after an election. In the late 1960s, Republicans began winning around 20 seats and continued to do so until 1988, when they took 35 seats. Republicans made steady gains after 1988 and eventually won the necessary seats to claim a majority in the chamber.

    From 1992 to 1998, Republicans made gains on Democrats in every election. In 2004, Republicans won 94 seats, giving them a slim majority in the chamber. They continued to win seats in 2006 and only lost one seat in 2008.

    Republican numbers increased from the 2010 to 2014 elections. 2014 was the first election where Republicans won 120 seats, which is a two-thirds supermajority. However, they experienced losses in elections from 2016 to 2020, bringing them below the two-thirds mark again. The chamber's Republican gains from 2010 through 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    See also

    Elections Georgia State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ In the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division, "Case 1:21-cv-05339-SCJ Document 1," December 30, 2021
    2. ↑ Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
    3. ↑ In the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division, "Case 1:21-cv-05337-SCJ Document 1," December 30, 2021
    4. ↑ Democracy Docket, "11th Circuit Considers Fate of Georgia Maps in High-Stakes Redistricting Case," January 21, 2025
    5. ↑ Georgia constitutional convention provisions
    6. ↑ The New York Times, "The 2002 Election: Georgia; Bush's Push, Eager Volunteers and Big Turnout Led to Georgia Sweep," November 10, 2002
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