| 1 | 1 | | By: Seliger S.B. No. 4 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (Darby) |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the composition of districts for the election of |
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| 8 | 8 | | members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. The interim redistricting plan used to elect |
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| 11 | 11 | | members of the United States House of Representatives from the |
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| 12 | 12 | | State of Texas in 2012 ordered by the United States District Court |
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| 13 | 13 | | for the Western District of Texas on February 28, 2012, in the case |
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| 14 | 14 | | of Perez, et al. v. Perry, et al. (No. SA-11-CV-360), and identified |
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| 15 | 15 | | as PLANC235 on the redistricting computer system operated by the |
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| 16 | 16 | | Texas Legislative Council, is hereby ratified and adopted as the |
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| 17 | 17 | | permanent plan for districts used to elect members of the United |
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| 18 | 18 | | States House of Representatives from the State of Texas. |
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| 19 | 19 | | SECTION 2. In making this enactment the legislature finds |
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| 20 | 20 | | that: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) the United States District Court for the Western |
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| 22 | 22 | | District of Texas properly applied the decision of the United |
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| 23 | 23 | | States Supreme Court on January 20, 2012, in Perry, et al. v. Perez, |
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| 24 | 24 | | et al., 565 U.S. ____ (2012) (per curiam), in the creation of the |
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| 25 | 25 | | district court's interim plan for Texas' congressional districts |
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| 26 | 26 | | for use in the 2012 elections; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) the district court's interim plan for Texas' |
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| 28 | 28 | | congressional districts complies with all federal and state |
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| 29 | 29 | | constitutional provisions or laws applicable to redistricting |
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| 30 | 30 | | plans, including the federal Voting Rights Act; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) the adoption of the district court's interim plan |
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| 32 | 32 | | for Texas' congressional districts as a permanent plan by the Texas |
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| 33 | 33 | | Legislature will: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (A) diminish the expense of further time and |
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| 35 | 35 | | money by all parties in Texas' ongoing redistricting litigation; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (B) avoid disruption of the upcoming election |
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| 37 | 37 | | cycle; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (C) provide certainty and continuity to the |
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| 39 | 39 | | citizens of Texas regarding the districts used to elect members of |
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| 40 | 40 | | the United States House of Representatives from Texas. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 3. Chapter 1 (Senate Bill No. 4), Acts of the 82nd |
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| 42 | 42 | | Legislature, 1st Called Session, 2011 (Article 197j, Vernon's Texas |
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| 43 | 43 | | Civil Statutes), is repealed. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 45 | 45 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 46 | 46 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 47 | 47 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 48 | 48 | | Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
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| 49 | 49 | | legislative session. |
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