Connecticut House Bill HB06606

Connecticut 2011 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/16/11
• Refer: 3/16/11

Caption

An Act Concerning The Determination Of The Residence Of Incarcerated Persons For Purposes Of Legislative Districting.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would significantly alter the way legislative districts are calculated in relation to population counts. It aims to provide a more accurate reflection of the population in each district by excluding incarcerated individuals from the population numbers of the areas where they are currently held. This change seeks to prevent potential dilutions of representation for communities that have higher incarceration rates and aims to ensure that legislative districts represent the actual residents of an area.

Summary

House Bill 06606 is an Act concerning the determination of the residence of incarcerated persons for purposes of legislative districting. The bill specifies that in each year when the federal decennial census is conducted, the Department of Correction must report specific details regarding incarcerated persons, such as their prior residential addresses, which are crucial for accurately determining population counts for legislative purposes. The essence of the bill is to recognize that those incarcerated should be counted as residents of their last known address rather than the location of the correctional facility they are housed in.

Contention

Although the bill appears to address critically important issues regarding representation and population counting, it may also raise discussions surrounding the implications of redefining residency for incarcerated persons. Not everyone agrees on the best approach to representing these individuals in census data and its subsequent effects on political representation. Some stakeholders may argue that this method could unduly favor certain districts while disenfranchising communities disproportionately affected by incarceration rates.