When the General

Assembly convenes Monday, House Minority Leader Lynn Westmoreland, R-Sharpsburg,

expects a busy session.

Gov. Roy Barnes

has already said one of his focuses this year is going to be getting regional

counties around Atlanta to focus on water resources, but Westmoreland

is not quite sure how that's going to work.

"I want

to make sure we don't have a 'WETA,'" Westmoreland said, in a slap

at the government-intensive Georgia Regional Transportation Authority

that was created two years ago.

"I just

don't want to see another level of bureaucracy added," he said.

The potentially

most divisive issue of the session could be the decision on whether to

change the state flag. Groups around the state are already starting to

focus on the flag and Westmoreland wants the issue settled early in the

session.

"I just

want to see it come to a floor vote. It was very divisive in South Carolina

and we don't need that," he said.

He discounted

reports that he is trying to get Republicans to vote all the same on the

issue, and said he hopes the issue can be settled one way or the other

this year.

The governor

will also introduce the second part of his Education Reform Act this year,

but Westmoreland has not seen a copy of the proposal yet.

"Gov.

Miller used to send his proposals to the legislators before the session,

but Barnes waits until we start," he said.

An issue that

will hover over the session is redistricting. The newest U.S. Census figures

indicate Georgia will gain two new congressional seats and redistricting

will be addressed during the summer. Still, Westmoreland believes the

political posturing will start during the session, with legislators talking

about where the new lines should be drawn.

Barnes has

also indicated he may introduce legislation to put more restrictions on

teen driving.

"He's

talking about raising the driving age, which is a real divisive issue.

It's one that pits the rural legislators against the suburban and urban

ones, so I don't know if anything will be accomplished," he said.

The legislators

will end their session in mid-March.