State legislators

continue to deliberate this week over the district lines for the state's

U.S. Congress members.

Greg Hecht,

who represents part of the county and is on the Senate Reapportionment

Committee, predicted Monday that it will be at least Wednesday or Thursday

before a joint Senate/House Conference Committee hammers out a compromise

on the district map.

The Legislature

is meeting in special session to redraw district lines to account for

population changes revealed in the 2000 U.S. Census.

Local Republicans

have complained that the Senate version unfairly dilutes Republican voting

strength. The House version approved last week added more Republican districts,

but the House this week was going over the Senate map to come up with

its final take on the matter.

"Neither

of them is the final map," Hecht said.

Hecht hailed

the Legislature's approval last week of a law banning machines that can

be used for video gambling.

"It was

a good measure to take," he said. The machines are "not a good

enterprise for Georgia. They were tied to certain folks who may have the

wrong background," he added.