| 1 | 1 | | 87S30030 TJB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Collier H.J.R. No. 3 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A JOINT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | proposing a constitutional amendment to require the preservation of |
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| 7 | 7 | | communities of interest in the apportionment of members of the |
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| 8 | 8 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 26, Article III, Texas Constitution, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 26. (a) The members of the House of Representatives |
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| 13 | 13 | | shall be apportioned among the several counties, according to the |
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| 14 | 14 | | number of population in each, as nearly as may be, on a ratio |
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| 15 | 15 | | obtained by dividing the population of the State, as ascertained by |
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| 16 | 16 | | the most recent United States census, by the number of members of |
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| 17 | 17 | | which the House is composed; provided, that whenever a single |
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| 18 | 18 | | county has sufficient population to be entitled to a |
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| 19 | 19 | | Representative, such county shall be formed into a separate |
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| 20 | 20 | | Representative District, and when two or more counties are required |
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| 21 | 21 | | to make up the ratio of representation, such counties shall be |
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| 22 | 22 | | contiguous to each other; and when any one county has more than |
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| 23 | 23 | | sufficient population to be entitled to one or more |
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| 24 | 24 | | Representatives, such Representative or Representatives shall be |
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| 25 | 25 | | apportioned to such county, and for any surplus of population it may |
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| 26 | 26 | | be joined in a Representative District with any other contiguous |
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| 27 | 27 | | county or counties. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) The apportionment of members of the House of |
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| 29 | 29 | | Representatives shall to the extent practicable keep intact |
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| 30 | 30 | | communities of interest defined by social, economic, racial, |
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| 31 | 31 | | ethnic, cultural, industrial, commercial, and geographic |
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| 32 | 32 | | commonalities. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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| 34 | 34 | | submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 8, 2022. |
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| 35 | 35 | | The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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| 36 | 36 | | proposition: "The constitutional amendment to require the |
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| 37 | 37 | | preservation of communities of interest in the apportionment of |
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| 38 | 38 | | members of the Texas House of Representatives." |
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