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State Bills
Arizona: HCR 2048
HCR was introduced on February 5, 2007 in the Arizona House of Representatives by Rep. Steve Gallardo (D-AZ-13) and Rep. Tom Prezelski (D-AZ-29). The proposed legislation would amend the Arizona state constitution to create a nine member independent redistricting commission to ensure equally populated voting districts.
California: ACA 1 and AB 3069; Proposition 11
ACA 1 and AB3069 were introduced on May 6, 2008 by California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles). The proposed legislation includes an independent 17-person “hybrid” redistricting commission. No legislators would serve on the commission, and it would exclude anyone who has recently run or been elected to state office. Political party officers, lobbyists, and employees of the Legislature, Congress, and other offices also would be banned from serving. Unlike other proposals, the Nunez proposal has strong protections to ensure diversity during all steps of process, including selection of the panel that screens commissioners, the nominees, and legislative selections to the commission. In addition, Nunez proposal puts compliance with the Voting Rights Act and respecting communities of interest among its top criteria, and includes strong transparency and public input provisions for redistricting plans – for example, the commission’s final redistricting plan also would be subject to referendum. Congressional district boundaries would still be drawn by the Legislature, but the process would be bound by many of the same rules that apply to the state commission. Finally, a diverse coalition of nonpartisan groups including Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and AARP created a redistricting initiative for the November 2008 ballot. Proposition 11, also known as California Voters FIRST, creates a 14-member independent redistricting commission responsible for drawing boundaries for the state Assembly, state Senate and the Board of Equalization. Congressional districts will still be drawn by the legislature.
Delaware: SB 102
Sen. Patricia Blevins (D-Elsmere) introduced SB 102, An Act to Amend Title 29 of the Delaware Code Relating to the Reapportionment of the General Assembly, on May 10, 2007. This bill will create an independent Redistricting Commission to reapportion the Delaware State Senate and House of Representatives.
Florida: Proposed State Constitutional Amendments Proposed State Constitutional Amendments
FairDistrictsFlorida.org has proposed two state constitutional amendments – one each for state House and Senate seats and another for Congress – that will prohibit state lawmakers and their staff from drawing boundaries that “favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party.” FairDistrictsFlorida.org is a bipartisan group that includes Democrat Bob Graham, a former Florida governor and U.S. senator, former Attorney General Janet Reno, and former state Comptroller Bob Milligan, a Republican. The organization is currently collecting signatures to get these amendments on the 2010 general election ballot.
Georgia: SR 344
SR 344, proposed on February 27, 2007 by Sens. Ronnie Chance (R-16), Joseph Carter (R-13), Bill Heath (R-31), and Bill Cowsert (R-46), is a resolution currently pending in the Georgia State Senate proposing an amendment to the Georgia Constitution so as to provide for the creation of the Citizens’ Redistricting Commission; to provide for the submission of a redistricting plan for approval by the General Assembly; to provide for procedures for the consideration of such plan; and to provide for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection.
Minnesota: SF No. 2211
SF No. 2211 was introduced by Sen. Larry Pogemiller (D-59) in the Minnesota State Senate on March 31, 2007, establishes districting principles for legislative and congressional plans; provides for appointment of a commission to recommend the boundaries of legislative and congressional districts; limits redistricting to once per decade; and amends and repeals certain preexisting Minnesota statutes. Pursuant to the bill, the Minnesota redistricting commission will consist of 5 retired judges of the appellate or district courts that have not served in a political party. The majority and minority leaders of the senate and the majority and minority leaders of the house each appoint one judge. These 4 judges then appoint the 5th.
Missouri: SJR 26
SJR 26 was introduced on March 1, 2007 in the Missouri State Senate, by Sen. Joan Bray (D-24). This act establishes a state demographer that shall develop procedures for drawing congressional and legislative redistricting plans based on each federal decennial census.
North Carolina: HB 76, HB 149, SB 1122
HB 76, An Act to Amend the Constitution to Establish an Independent Redistricting Commission, was introduced by Rep. John Blust (R-62) in the North Carolina General Assembly on February 6, 2007. The Independent Redistricting Commission established by HB 76 would consist of nine persons appointed as follows: two by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, with no more than one affiliated with the same political party; three by the Governor, with no more than two affiliated with the same political party; one by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one by the leader in the House of Representatives of the other political party with the next highest or equal number of members of the House of Representatives as the party of the Speaker; and one by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and one by the leader in the Senate of the other political party in the Senate with the next highest or equal number of Senators as the party of the President Pro Tempore. HB 149, An Act to Amend the Constitution to Reform Legislative and Congressional Redistricting, sets forth criteria and procedures for redistricting plans. HB 149 was introduced by Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-36) in the North Carolina General Assembly on February 13, 2007. Additionally, SB 1122, introduced on March 22, 2007 and currently pending in the North Carolina State Senate, proposes a Screening Panel that will nominate a group of potential members for an 11-member Independent Redistricting Committee. If SB 1122 passes, it will be put onto the ballot as an initiative.
Pennsylvania: HB 2420
HB 2420, the Pennsylvania Voters’ First Amendment, was introduced by Rep. Steve Samuelson (D-PA-135), and would repeal the portion of the Pennsylvania state constitution that currently provides for a five-member redistricting commission, and instead assign the task of redrawing district boundaries, following the updated federal census, to the Legislative Reference Bureau. HB 2420 would also ban mid-decade redistricting, unless otherwise directed by court order. Proponents say the Reference Bureau — which drafts any bill requested by a House or Senate member — is independent enough to draw compact districts that respect the needs of citizens. There is also a Pennsylvania State Senate version of the bill, SB 346, whose prime sponsor is Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-PA-18).
Wisconsin: J RES 63 (failed)
2007 Assembly Joint Resolution 63 was introduced on August 28, 2007 by Reps. Frederick P. Kessler (D-Milwaukee) and Spencer Black (D-Madison). The resolution would amend the Wisconsin state constitution to change the procedure for redistricting the state legislature. The proposal would create a state redistricting board composed of four state constitutional officers and a member appointed by the state supreme court. The bill was adversely disposed of on March 21, 2008.
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