Indiana 2024 Regular Session

Indiana Senate Bill SJR0006 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SJ9612
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	SENATE JOINT
4	4	RESOLUTION No. _____
5	5	_____
6	6	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED RESOL UTION
7	7	Citations Affected: Articles 2 and 4 of the Constitution of the State
8	8	of Indiana.
9	9	Synopsis: Election of state and federal legislators. Repeals the
10	10	constitutional provision for drawing legislative districts by the general
11	11	assembly. Requires the general assembly to establish an independent
12	12	redistricting commission to draw congressional and legislative districts.
13	13	Establishes standards for drawing Indiana congressional districts and
14	14	Indiana legislative districts. Establishes term limits for members of the
15	15	general assembly. This proposed amendment has not been previously
16	16	agreed to by a general assembly.
17	17	Effective: This proposed amendment must be agreed to by two
18	18	consecutive general assemblies and ratified by a majority of the state's
19	19	voters voting on the question to be effective.
20	20	Qaddoura
21	21	_______________________, read first time and referred to Committee on
22	22	20241199
23	23	2024 SJ 9612/DI 144 Introduced
24	24	Second Regular Session of the 123rd General Assembly (2024)
25	25	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
26	26	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
27	27	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
28	28	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
29	29	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the word
30	30	NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds a
31	31	new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
32	32	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
33	33	between statutes enacted by the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
34	34	SENATE JOINT
35	35	RESOLUTION
36	36	A JOINT RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to Articles 2
37	37	and 4 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana concerning elections.
38	38	Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
39	39	1 SECTION 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of the
40	40	2 State of Indiana is proposed and agreed to by this, the One Hundred
41	41	3 Twenty-Third General Assembly of the State of Indiana, and is referred
42	42	4 to the next General Assembly for reconsideration and agreement.
43	43	5 SECTION 2. ARTICLE 2 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
44	44	6 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
45	45	7 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 15. (a) The following
46	46	8 apply to a redistricting plan for Indiana congressional districts:
47	47	9 (1) A redistricting plan and any individual district may not be
48	48	10 drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or
49	49	11 an incumbent.
50	50	12 (2) A redistricting plan and any individual district may not be
51	51	13 drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the
52	52	2024 SJ 9612/DI 144 2
53	53	1 equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to
54	54	2 participate in the political process or to diminish their ability
55	55	3 to elect representatives of their choice.
56	56	4 The order in which the standards of this subsection are stated do
57	57	5 not establish the priority of a single standard over the other
58	58	6 standards stated in this subsection.
59	59	7 (b) Each of the following apply to the districts of a redistricting
60	60	8 plan for Indiana congressional districts:
61	61	9 (1) The territory in each district must be contiguous.
62	62	10 (2) The districts of a redistricting plan must be as nearly equal
63	63	11 in population as is practicable.
64	64	12 (3) The districts of a redistricting plan must, where feasible,
65	65	13 utilize existing political and geographical boundaries.
66	66	14 The order in which the standards of this subsection are stated do
67	67	15 not establish the priority of a single standard over the other
68	68	16 standards stated in this subsection.
69	69	17 SECTION 3. ARTICLE 4, SECTION 3 OF THE CONSTITUTION
70	70	18 OF THE STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED TO READ AS
71	71	19 FOLLOWS: Section 3. (a) Senators shall be elected for the term of four
72	72	20 years, and Representatives for the term of two years, from the day next
73	73	21 after their general election. One half of the Senators, as nearly as
74	74	22 possible, shall be elected biennially.
75	75	23 (b) An individual may not be a candidate for the office of
76	76	24 Senator or Representative in the General Assembly if, at the
77	77	25 expiration of the term to which the individual would be elected, the
78	78	26 sum of:
79	79	27 (1) the number of years the individual has served as a Senator
80	80	28 in the General Assembly; and
81	81	29 (2) the number of years the individual has served as a
82	82	30 Representative in the General Assembly;
83	83	31 would be greater than sixteen (16) years.
84	84	32 SECTION 4. ARTICLE 4, SECTION 5 OF THE CONSTITUTION
85	85	33 OF THE STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED TO READ AS
86	86	34 FOLLOWS: Section 5. (a) The General Assembly elected during the
87	87	35 year in which a federal decennial census is taken shall fix by law the
88	88	36 number of Senators and Representatives. and apportion them among
89	89	37 districts according to the number of inhabitants in each district, as
90	90	38 revealed by that federal decennial census.
91	91	39 (b) Not later than July 1, 2027, the General Assembly shall
92	92	40 establish by law an independent redistricting commission to draw
93	93	41 the congressional and legislative districts for the state. The
94	94	42 redistricting commission shall be politically balanced and
95	95	2024 SJ 9612/DI 144 3
96	96	1 representative of Indiana voters. The redistricting commission
97	97	2 shall conduct the redistricting process in an open and transparent
98	98	3 manner and shall not favor any individual or political party.
99	99	4 (c) The following apply to a redistricting plan for Senate
100	100	5 districts and to a redistricting plan for House of Representatives
101	101	6 districts:
102	102	7 (1) A redistricting plan and any individual district may not be
103	103	8 drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or
104	104	9 an incumbent.
105	105	10 (2) A redistricting plan and any individual district may not be
106	106	11 drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the
107	107	12 equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to
108	108	13 participate in the political process or to diminish their ability
109	109	14 to elect representatives of their choice.
110	110	15 The order in which the standards of this subsection are stated do
111	111	16 not establish the priority of a single standard over the other
112	112	17 standards stated in this subsection.
113	113	18 (d) Each of the following apply to the districts of a redistricting
114	114	19 plan for Senate districts and to the districts of a redistricting plan
115	115	20 for House of Representatives districts:
116	116	21 (1) The territory in each district shall must be contiguous.
117	117	22 (2) The districts of a redistricting plan must be as nearly equal
118	118	23 in population as is practicable.
119	119	24 (3) The districts of a redistricting plan must, where feasible,
120	120	25 utilize existing political and geographical boundaries.
121	121	26 The order in which the standards of this subsection are stated do
122	122	27 not establish the priority of a single standard over the other
123	123	28 standards stated in this subsection.
124	124	2024 SJ 9612/DI 144