Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HJR124 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R1799 BEF-F
2	2	By: González of Dallas H.J.R. No. 124
3	3
4	4
5	5	A JOINT RESOLUTION
6	6	proposing a constitutional amendment establishing procedures for
7	7	public involvement in redistricting of state legislative districts
8	8	and congressional districts.
9	9	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. The Texas Constitution is amended by adding
11	11	Article XVIII to read as follows:
12	12	ARTICLE XVIII
13	13	Sec. 1. In this article:
14	14	(1) "Redistricting plan" means a plan for dividing
15	15	this state into senatorial districts, representative districts, or
16	16	congressional districts.
17	17	(2) "Website" means an Internet website under Section
18	18	2 of this article.
19	19	Sec. 2. (a) The legislature shall ensure that, as soon as
20	20	practicable after a federal decennial census is taken but not later
21	21	than February 1 of the year following the year in which that census
22	22	is taken, the public has access to an Internet website with
23	23	information about the legislature's redistricting activities based
24	24	on that census.
25	25	(b) The legislature shall ensure that the website:
26	26	(1) is continuously updated to provide advance notice
27	27	of public hearings, committee meetings, and legislative debates on
28	28	redistricting plans;
29	29	(2) contains the most recent available information
30	30	regarding voting age population, voter registration, and election
31	31	returns for election precincts and census tracts in this state,
32	32	including detailed maps depicting that information;
33	33	(3) allows individuals to submit comments on any
34	34	redistricting plan being considered by the legislature and to
35	35	submit questions, comments, and other information regarding the
36	36	legislature's redistricting activities; and
37	37	(4) includes any other information required under this
38	38	article.
39	39	(c) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the
40	40	legislature shall ensure that any comment submitted to the website
41	41	by a member of the public regarding a redistricting plan or
42	42	otherwise related to redistricting is publicly available on the
43	43	website not later than 72 hours after submission. The legislature
44	44	may exclude from the website obscene, threatening, harassing, or
45	45	similarly offensive comments or comments unrelated to
46	46	redistricting but shall provide copies of those comments to adult
47	47	members of the public on request.
48	48	(d) The legislature shall ensure that the information
49	49	required to be included on the website relating to the
50	50	legislature's redistricting activities based on a federal
51	51	decennial census remains accessible to the public on that website
52	52	until the website relating to the legislature's redistricting
53	53	activities based on the next federal decennial census is
54	54	established.
55	55	Sec. 3. During the 60 days after the day this state receives
56	56	notice of the apportionment of United States representatives and
57	57	before considering any redistricting plan, the standing committees
58	58	of the senate and the house of representatives with primary
59	59	jurisdiction over redistricting shall solicit input from members of
60	60	the public regarding the legislature's criteria and procedures for
61	61	considering redistricting plans by:
62	62	(1) publishing and posting on the website those
63	63	criteria and procedures;
64	64	(2) holding public hearings in the manner provided by
65	65	Section 6 of this article; and
66	66	(3) publishing and posting on the website a transcript
67	67	of or link to a video recording of each hearing not later than the
68	68	seventh day after conclusion of the hearing.
69	69	Sec. 4. (a) A committee of the senate shall post the
70	70	information required by Subsections (b) and (c) of this section
71	71	regarding a redistricting plan at least 10 days before reporting a
72	72	senate bill to enact the plan from the committee. A committee of
73	73	the house of representatives shall post the information required by
74	74	Subsections (b) and (c) of this section regarding a redistricting
75	75	plan at least 10 days before reporting a house bill to enact the
76	76	plan from the committee.
77	77	(b) For each plan subject to Subsection (a) of this section,
78	78	a committee shall post on the website and, if practicable, publish
79	79	in newspapers of general circulation throughout the state:
80	80	(1) a map showing each district in the plan;
81	81	(2) for each district in the plan:
82	82	(A) the total population and voting age
83	83	population of the district, including a breakdown of those
84	84	populations by race and by membership in language minority groups;
85	85	and
86	86	(B) the number of registered voters in the
87	87	district including, to the extent available, a breakdown of that
88	88	number by political party affiliation, race, and membership in
89	89	language minority groups;
90	90	(3) a statement explaining the committee's reasons for
91	91	proposing adoption of the plan and reasons why the proposed
92	92	adoption will best serve the public interest;
93	93	(4) any dissenting statement provided by a member of
94	94	the committee who did not approve the plan; and
95	95	(5) notice that members of the public may submit
96	96	comments regarding the plan through the website, at a public
97	97	hearing, or by any other available means.
98	98	(c) A committee shall post on the website a machine-readable
99	99	file containing the information described by Subsections (b)(1) and
100	100	(2) of this section.
101	101	(d) A committee shall hold public hearings on a proposed
102	102	redistricting plan in the manner required by Section 7 of this
103	103	article.
104	104	(e) A committee shall publish and post on the website a
105	105	transcript of or link to a video recording of each hearing not later
106	106	than the seventh day after conclusion of the hearing.
107	107	(f) A new or amended version of a redistricting plan that
108	108	has previously been subject to notice or a hearing under this
109	109	section is separately subject to the requirements of Subsections
110	110	(a) and (d) of this section unless the committee determines that
111	111	compliance with those requirements is likely to prevent adoption of
112	112	the plan before the end of the legislative session.
113	113	Sec. 5. Not later than the seventh day after the day the
114	114	legislature passes a bill enacting a redistricting plan, the
115	115	legislature shall post on the website and, if practicable, publish
116	116	in newspapers of general circulation throughout the state:
117	117	(1) a map showing each district in the plan;
118	118	(2) for each district in the plan:
119	119	(A) the total population and voting age
120	120	population of the district, including a breakdown of those
121	121	populations by race and by membership in language minority groups;
122	122	and
123	123	(B) the number of registered voters in the
124	124	district including, to the extent available, a breakdown of that
125	125	number by political party affiliation, race, and membership in
126	126	language minority groups;
127	127	(3) statements by the president of the senate and the
128	128	speaker of the house of representatives explaining the
129	129	legislature's reasons for adopting the plan and reasons why
130	130	adoption of the plan will best serve the public interest; and
131	131	(4) any dissenting statement provided by a member of
132	132	the legislature who did not approve the plan.
133	133	Sec. 6. (a) This section applies to the hearings required
134	134	by Section 3 of this article.
135	135	(b) The standing committees of the senate and the house of
136	136	representatives with primary jurisdiction over redistricting shall
137	137	jointly hold at least five public hearings on redistricting
138	138	criteria and procedures before considering any redistricting plan.
139	139	(c) The committees shall hold each joint hearing in a
140	140	different congressional district in this state, including one joint
141	141	hearing in the congressional district with the greatest change in
142	142	population since the previous congressional apportionment. The
143	143	committees shall consider holding other joint hearings in
144	144	congressional districts that have experienced large changes in
145	145	population.
146	146	(d) The committees shall provide public notice at least
147	147	seven days before each joint hearing. The notice must include the
148	148	time and location of the joint hearing and notice that members of
149	149	the public may provide comments on the criteria and procedures the
150	150	committees will use to consider redistricting plans and on other
151	151	issues related to redistricting.
152	152	(e) The committees shall allow individuals at remote
153	153	locations throughout the state to view and provide public testimony
154	154	at the joint hearings by videoconference.
155	155	Sec. 7. (a) This section applies to the hearings required
156	156	by Section 4(d) of this article.
157	157	(b) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a
158	158	committee of the senate shall hold at least five public hearings on
159	159	a senate bill to enact a redistricting plan before reporting the
160	160	bill from the committee and a committee of the house of
161	161	representatives shall hold at least five public hearings on a house
162	162	bill to enact a redistricting plan before reporting the bill from
163	163	the committee. A committee may hold fewer than five hearings if the
164	164	committee determines that holding one or more of the hearings is
165	165	likely to prevent adoption of the plan before the end of the
166	166	legislative session.
167	167	(c) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a
168	168	committee shall hold each hearing in a different congressional
169	169	district in this state, including one hearing in the congressional
170	170	district with the greatest change in population since the previous
171	171	decennial congressional apportionment. If the committee is unable
172	172	to hold hearings throughout the state, the committee shall allow
173	173	public participation in the hearings from various congressional
174	174	districts throughout this state by videoconference.
175	175	(d) A committee shall provide public notice at least seven
176	176	days before each hearing. The notice must include the time and
177	177	location of the hearing, notice that members of the public may
178	178	attend the hearing and provide comments on the plan, and notice that
179	179	members of the committee will be available at the hearing to explain
180	180	the reasons why adoption of the plan will best serve the public
181	181	interest.
182	182	(e) A committee shall allow individuals at remote locations
183	183	throughout the state to view and provide public testimony at the
184	184	hearings by videoconference.
185	185	SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
186	186	submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 5, 2019.
187	187	The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
188	188	proposition: "The constitutional amendment establishing procedures
189	189	for public involvement in redistricting of state legislative
190	190	districts and congressional districts."