ATLANTA (December 23, 2014) | State Senator Ronald Ramsey (D- Lithonia) pre-filed Senate Bill 10 this week. The bill seeks to streamline the process of filling vacant elected seats due to the suspension of a public official by allowing the Governor to authorize temporary replacements after 180 days.
“As a resident of District 5 in DeKalb County, myself and the 140,000 district residents deserve and expect to have representation,” said Sen. Ramsey. “Sadly, we remain without a voice due to certain elected officials’ political agenda, over the needs of our citizens. I proposed Senate Bill 10 as a means to quickly and efficiently fill vacant seats to ensure that citizens will always have responsible and responsive representation.”
Senate Bill 10 will allow the governing authority or executive officer of a county to nominate no more than three qualified nominees and vote to fill the vacancy. If the vote is not held within 30 days of the nomination, the authority does not approve a nominee, or if the vacancy has existed for more than 180 days, the Governor will have the authority to select a temporary replacement from the nominee list.
The first-term of the 153rd Legislative Session will begin on January 12, 2015.
# # # #
For Immediate Release:
December 23, 2014
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Director
Emily Williams, Communications Specialist
Emily.williams@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028