The current session of the Georgia General Assembly is on track to become the longest in at least 30 years, to the approval of Athens legislators and a University official.

Most past sessions — which cannot exceed 40 working days in length — have adjourned by mid-March. But, by the legislators’ own design, this session won’t end until some time in April.

“This is the strangest and the longest session that I’ve ever experienced,” said Rep. Louise McBee (D-Athens). “Things … have just generally moved more slowly, and even the high profile bills have been slow to come back.”

The reason for the delay, she said, is that lawmakers have been meeting only a few days a week, saving working days for as long as they can, in case a federal court in Washington rules that their redistricting plans require adjustment.

The court must determine if the plans, which were drawn up by legislators last fall in a special session, violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which mandates that the voting rights of minorities cannot be compromised.

If the new legislative and congressional districts are found to be discriminatory, it would fall on the Legislature to bring the plans into compliance with the court’s order.

“There were some who wanted us to go ahead and finish out the session and have a special session (to make any required changes) because they said it’s wasting time and costing the state money,” she said. “But the answer to that is, a special session would cost more. It really is less expensive to do it this way … saving days to take care of any lengthy discussion we might have.”

Sen. Doug Haines (D-Athens) said he supports the slow-down, although a few problems have come with it.

“I think it’s made it a little more difficult to maintain continuity,” he said. “Some of the legislative processes are best conducted within limited time frames. But if this means we don’t have to come back in and incur the costs of a special session, I’m all for it.”

And there has been one unintended, but largely beneficial result of the extended time-span, Haines said.

“It probably makes it easier to pass legislation, because we have more time to … take a step back and do a little more study on some of these bills,” he said.

Melvin Hill, the Robert Stephens Jr. Fellow in Law and Government in the University’s Institute of Higher Education, said the legislators are trying to most efficiently use their time.

“I really think it’s legitimate. I don’t think there’s any monkey business,” he said. “Believe me, no one wants to go home more than they do.”

If the legislators had to be called back after they adjourned, it would be “very disruptive,” Hill said.

–Contributing: Associated Press