With nearly

half of the General Assembly gone, state Rep. Lynn Westmoreland doesn't

see much major legislation on the horizon.

Since this

an election year, the Sharpsburg Republican said many of the legislators

are focusing on the upcoming fall election.

But before

an election can take place, the candidates need to know what district

they will represent.

Last summer's

bitter battle over drawing new legislative and congressional lines has

wound up in court. The closing arguments are scheduled to be heard Feb.

26 in a Washington, D.C., district court.

If Republicans

lose this court fight, Westmoreland said the fight is not over.

"If we

lose this round, we'll probably file an equal protection lawsuit. If the

state loses, they'll probably appeal the decision to the Supreme Court,"

he said.

Westmoreland

also has authored a constitutional amendment that he said would clear

up some of the partisan politics that seems to crop up every 10 years

when the maps are redone.

House Resolution

837 calls for several requirements before the maps can be submitted, including:

All the districts

shall comply with the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The districts

shall have as close to zero deviation from the ideal population size as

is arithmetically possible to ensure that each senator, representative

or congressman represents, as close as possible, an equal number of inhabitants

of the state.

All districts

shall be composed of contiguous territory.

The districts

shall be compact in form. Bizarre shapes shall be avoided unless necessary

to comply with the other requirements.

No district

shall divide a community of interest unless necessary to comply with federal

standards.

No district

shall be established with the intent or effect of diluting the voting

strength of any person, group of persons, or members of any political

party.

Districts

shall divide as few counties and recognized political boundaries as is

practical.

Single member

districts shall be used in all cases and multi-member districts shall

be prohibited.

Westmoreland

said the only local legislation he has seen from Fayette County is approval

of changes to the Peachtree City charter.