HR 885: House Study Committee on Election Procedures; create

The House Committee on Rules offers the following substitute to HR 885:

A RESOLUTION

Creating the House Study Committee on Election Procedures; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the elective franchise is the cornerstone of our representative government; and

WHEREAS, Article II, Section I, Paragraph I of the Constitution provides that elections in Georgia shall be conducted in accordance with procedures provided by law; and

WHEREAS, over the years Georgia election laws have divided responsibility for administering and overseeing elections to a variety of state-wide and local officials and boards, including but not limited to the Secretary of State, the State Election Board, and local election superintendents and registrars; and

WHEREAS, while certain provisions of the Georgia Election Code, Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the O.C.G.A., have been updated and modernized in recent years, other provisions have remained unchanged since the original adoption of the state-wide Election Code in 1964; and

WHEREAS, further study and evaluation of the laws, policies, and procedures utilized in administering Georgia elections is warranted; and

WHEREAS, the state has a compelling governmental interest in ensuring that Georgia has the most secure and effective electoral system in the nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on Election Procedures.

(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of a number of members of the House of Representatives as determined and appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker shall designate the chairperson of the House Committee on Governmental Affairs as chairperson of the committee.

(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.

(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee; provided, however, that the Speaker of the House of Representatives may set a maximum number of meetings that the committee may conduct. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.

(5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than three days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives.

(6) Report.

(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.

(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.