87S30491 MAW-DPLANH2101
By: Hunter H.B. No. 1
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the composition of districts for the election of
members of the Texas House of Representatives.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
ARTICLE I
SECTION 1. (a) The members of the Texas House of
Representatives are elected from the districts described by Article
II of this Act.
(b) One member is elected from each district established by
this Act.
ARTICLE II
SECTION 1. The districts for members of the Texas House of
Representatives are as described by PLANH2101 on the redistricting
computer system operated by the Texas Legislative Council.
ARTICLE III
SECTION 1. In this Act, "tract," "block group," and "block"
mean the geographic areas identified by those terms on the 2020
Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles, prepared by the federal Bureau of the
Census for the Twenty-fourth Decennial Census of the United States,
enumerated as of April 1, 2020.
SECTION 2. It is the intent of the legislature that if any
county, tract, block group, block, or other geographic area has
erroneously been left out of this Act, a court reviewing this Act
should include that area in the appropriate district in accordance
with the intent of the legislature, using any available evidence of
that intent, including evidence such as that used by the Supreme
Court of Texas in Smith v. Patterson, 111 Tex. 535, 242 S.W. 749
(1922).
SECTION 3. (a) This Act supersedes all previous enactments
or orders adopting districts for the Texas House of
Representatives. All previous acts of the legislature adopting
districts for the Texas House of Representatives are repealed.
(b) Chapter 2 (S.B. 3), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, 1st
Called Session, 2013 (Article 195a-13, Vernon's Texas Civil
Statutes), is repealed.
SECTION 4. The districts described by Article II of this Act
apply to the election of the members of the Texas House of
Representatives beginning with the primary and general elections in
2022 for members of the 88th Legislature. This Act does not affect
the membership or districts of the House of Representatives of the
87th Texas Legislature.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the
legislative session.