| 1 | 1 | | 87S30032 TJB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Collier H.B. No. 67 |
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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 establishing principles to govern redistricting plans |
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| 8 | 8 | | enacted by the legislature. |
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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. Subtitle B, Title 3, Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | by adding Chapter 319A to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | CHAPTER 319A. REDISTRICTING LEGISLATION |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 319A.001. PRINCIPLES GOVERNING LEGISLATIVE |
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| 14 | 14 | | REDISTRICTING. (a) In enacting legislation adopting or modifying |
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| 15 | 15 | | a redistricting plan for the election of the Texas Senate, the Texas |
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| 16 | 16 | | House of Representatives, the State Board of Education, or the |
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| 17 | 17 | | members of the United States House of Representatives elected from |
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| 18 | 18 | | this state, the legislature shall ensure that the plan, including |
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| 19 | 19 | | any modifications to the plan, conforms to the following |
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| 20 | 20 | | principles: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) a plan shall avoid unnecessarily dividing counties |
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| 22 | 22 | | and municipalities in the formation of districts, and district |
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| 23 | 23 | | boundaries shall to the extent practicable be coterminous with the |
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| 24 | 24 | | boundaries of counties and municipalities; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) a plan shall to the extent practicable keep intact |
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| 26 | 26 | | communities of interest defined by social, economic, racial, |
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| 27 | 27 | | ethnic, cultural, industrial, commercial, and geographic |
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| 28 | 28 | | commonalities; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) a plan must protect minority voting rights in |
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| 30 | 30 | | accordance with applicable state and federal constitutional and |
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| 31 | 31 | | statutory requirements, including the federal Voting Rights Act of |
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| 32 | 32 | | 1965 (52 U.S.C. Section 10101 et seq.); and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (4) the districts in a plan must be equal in population |
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| 34 | 34 | | as nearly as practicable in accordance with the other principles |
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| 35 | 35 | | described by this subsection. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) The principle described by Subsection (a)(1) applies to |
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| 37 | 37 | | a plan for the election of the Texas House of Representatives in |
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| 38 | 38 | | addition to the requirements of Section 26, Article III, Texas |
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| 39 | 39 | | Constitution. District lines shall to the extent practicable be |
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| 40 | 40 | | coterminous with the boundaries of counties and municipalities. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the |
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| 42 | 42 | | last day of the legislative session. |
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