| 4 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 7 | | relating to the composition of districts for the election of |
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| 6 | 8 | | members of the Texas Senate. |
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| 7 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 10 | | SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to ensure the |
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| 9 | 11 | | legislature has fulfilled its duty to apportion the state into |
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| 10 | 12 | | senatorial districts at its first regular session after the |
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| 11 | 13 | | publication of the Twenty-fourth Decennial Census of the United |
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| 12 | 14 | | States, as provided by Section 28, Article III, Texas Constitution. |
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| 13 | 15 | | SECTION 2. The districts used to elect members of the Texas |
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| 14 | 16 | | Senate in 2022, established by Chapter 5 (S.B. 4), Acts of the 87th |
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| 15 | 17 | | Legislature, 3rd Called Session, 2021 (PLANS2168 in the Texas |
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| 16 | 18 | | Legislature's redistricting system), are hereby ratified and |
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| 17 | 19 | | adopted as the permanent districts used to elect members of the |
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| 18 | 20 | | Texas Senate. |
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| 19 | 21 | | SECTION 3. The legislature finds that the districts |
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| 20 | 22 | | described by SECTION 2 of this Act are a continuation of the |
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| 21 | 23 | | districts used for the election of the members of the Senate of the |
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| 22 | 24 | | 88th Legislature. Accordingly, the legislature finds that |
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| 23 | 25 | | enactment of this Act does not require a new senate be chosen for |
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| 24 | 26 | | the 89th Legislature for purposes of Section 3, Article III, Texas |
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| 25 | 27 | | Constitution. The legislature's findings expressed in this section |
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| 26 | 28 | | are consistent with the opinion of the court of appeals in |
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| 27 | 29 | | Armbrister v. Morales, 943 S.W.2d 202 (Tex. App.-Austin 1997, no |
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| 28 | 30 | | pet.). |
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| 29 | 31 | | SECTION 4. The districts described by SECTION 2 of this Act |
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| 30 | 32 | | apply to the election of the members of the Texas Senate beginning |
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| 31 | 33 | | with the primary and general elections in 2024 for members of the |
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| 32 | 34 | | 89th Legislature. This Act does not affect the membership or |
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| 33 | 35 | | districts of the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature. |
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| 34 | 36 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 35 | 37 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 36 | 38 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 37 | 39 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 38 | 40 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 39 | | - | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 40 | | - | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 41 | | - | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 375 passed the Senate on |
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| 42 | | - | April 3, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 23, Nays 7. |
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| 43 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 44 | | - | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 45 | | - | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 375 passed the House on |
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| 46 | | - | May 22, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 86, Nays 57, |
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| 47 | | - | one present not voting. |
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| 48 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 49 | | - | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 50 | | - | Approved: |
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| 51 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 52 | | - | Date |
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| 53 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 54 | | - | Governor |
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