TX
Texas Senate Bill SR2

Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR2 Compare Versions

OldNewDifferences
1+88R7438 BEF-F
12 By: Huffman S.R. No. 2
23
34
4- SENATE RESOLUTION
5- BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Texas, That
6- the following rules of procedure shall be observed by the Senate
7- for the consideration of redistricting during the 88th
8- Legislature:
5+ R E S O L U T I O N
6+ BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Texas, That the
7+ following rules of procedure shall be observed by the Senate for the
8+ consideration of redistricting during the 88th Legislature:
99 SECTION 1. REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE. (a) The Special
10- Committee on Redistricting is composed of members appointed by
11- the President. The President shall designate the chair and
12- vice-chair from the total membership of the committee.
10+ Committee on Redistricting is composed of members appointed by the
11+ President. The President shall designate the chair and vice-chair
12+ from the total membership of the committee.
1313 (b) Bills and resolutions relating to the composition of
14- legislative, congressional, and State Board of Education
15- districts shall be referred to the committee by the President.
16- Senate rules governing a motion to refer or commit are
17- applicable, except that the special committee takes precedence
18- over a standing committee when several motions are made.
19- (c) The committee shall have the same authority and
20- powers granted to standing committees by Senate rules and by
21- applicable statutes. Where applicable, the rules governing
22- standing committees of the Senate apply to the committee's
23- proceedings. In case of any conflict, the procedures herein
24- shall prevail over a conflicting Senate or committee rule.
25- SECTION 2. REGIONAL HEARINGS; VIDEOCONFERENCE
26- TESTIMONY. (a) The committee shall hold regional hearings to
27- solicit public input on redistricting, including local
28- communities of interest.
29- (b) The committee may meet to conduct a regional hearing
30- in any location in this state that the chair determines
31- appropriate to encourage participation from all areas of the
32- state. The committee may allow the use of two-way
33- videoconferencing to facilitate testimony from the general
34- public during a regional hearing held in the Capitol.
35- (c) A witness testifying by videoconference must be
36- clearly visible and audible to the committee members. A
37- committee member questioning a witness by videoconference must
38- be clearly visible and audible to the witness and the committee
39- members.
14+ legislative, congressional, and State Board of Education districts
15+ shall be referred to the committee by the President. Senate rules
16+ governing a motion to refer or commit are applicable, except that
17+ the special committee takes precedence over a standing committee
18+ when several motions are made.
19+ (c) The committee shall have the same authority and powers
20+ granted to standing committees by Senate rules and by applicable
21+ statutes. Where applicable, the rules governing standing
22+ committees of the Senate apply to the committee's proceedings. In
23+ case of any conflict, the procedures herein shall prevail over a
24+ conflicting Senate or committee rule.
25+ SECTION 2. REGIONAL HEARINGS; VIDEOCONFERENCE TESTIMONY.
26+ (a) The committee shall hold regional hearings to solicit public
27+ input on redistricting, including local communities of interest.
28+ (b) The committee may meet to conduct a regional hearing in
29+ any location in this state that the chair determines appropriate to
30+ encourage participation from all areas of the state. The committee
31+ may allow the use of two-way videoconferencing to facilitate
32+ testimony from the general public during a regional hearing held in
33+ the Capitol.
34+ (c) A witness testifying by videoconference must be clearly
35+ visible and audible to the committee members. A committee member
36+ questioning a witness by videoconference must be clearly visible
37+ and audible to the witness and the committee members.
4038 (d) A witness testifying by videoconference must submit a
4139 witness affirmation form before testifying.
4240 (e) The chair may provide procedures for the orderly
4341 participation of witnesses and may reasonably limit the time for
4442 registration of witnesses, the order of appearance, and the time
4543 allotted for each witness in order to provide all witnesses the
4644 opportunity to be heard in a timely manner.
47- (f) The committee may not consider or take formal action
48- on a specific bill, resolution, or other nonprocedural matter
49- during a regional hearing, except for the adoption of permanent
50- rules at an initial meeting held in the Capitol.
51- SECTION 3. PUBLIC NOTICE OF MEETINGS. (a) The chair
52- shall give public notice at least 72 hours in advance of a meeting
53- for a regional hearing during the regular session or the interim
54- between sessions and at least 48 hours in advance during a called
55- session.
56- (b) The chair shall give public notice at least 48 hours
57- in advance of a meeting for a public hearing on a bill or
58- resolution.
59- (c) Public notice of the time and place of a meeting shall
60- be posted in a public place in the manner required by Senate
61- rules.
62- SECTION 4. CONSIDERATION OF REDISTRICTING BILLS BY
63- SENATE. (a) No proposed amendment, amendment to the amendment,
64- or substitute amendment changing any district in a legislative,
45+ (f) The committee may not consider or take formal action on
46+ a specific bill, resolution, or other nonprocedural matter during a
47+ regional hearing, except for the adoption of permanent rules at an
48+ initial meeting held in the Capitol.
49+ SECTION 3. PUBLIC NOTICE OF MEETINGS. (a) The chair shall
50+ give public notice at least 72 hours in advance of a meeting for a
51+ regional hearing during the regular session or the interim between
52+ sessions and at least 48 hours in advance during a called session.
53+ (b) The chair shall give public notice at least 48 hours in
54+ advance of a meeting for a public hearing on a bill or resolution.
55+ (c) Public notice of the time and place of a meeting shall be
56+ posted in a public place in the manner required by Senate rules.
57+ SECTION 4. CONSIDERATION OF REDISTRICTING BILLS BY SENATE.
58+ (a) No proposed amendment, amendment to the amendment, or
59+ substitute amendment changing any district in a legislative,
6560 congressional, or State Board of Education redistricting bill is
6661 eligible for consideration on second or third reading unless 35
6762 copies of an amendment packet prepared by the Texas Legislative
68- Council have been filed with the calendar clerk in accordance
69- with this section.
63+ Council have been filed with the calendar clerk in accordance with
64+ this section.
7065 (b) An amendment packet is not required to include a
71- description of geography in the form of counties and census
72- tracts, block groups, and blocks, but must include:
66+ description of geography in the form of counties and census tracts,
67+ block groups, and blocks, but must include:
7368 (1) a general written description of the proposed
7469 changes, including district numbers if the amendment does not
7570 propose a statewide substitute plan, the names of counties or a
7671 description of regions affected, and the plan number assigned by
77- the redistricting computer system operated by the Texas
78- Legislative Council;
79- (2) one or more maps prepared by the Texas
80- Legislative Council indicating the changes made by the
81- amendment; and
82- (3) standard reports prepared by the Texas
83- Legislative Council that include population, voter data, and
84- incumbent locations for the districts affected by the amendment.
72+ the redistricting computer system operated by the Texas Legislative
73+ Council;
74+ (2) one or more maps prepared by the Texas Legislative
75+ Council indicating the changes made by the amendment; and
76+ (3) standard reports prepared by the Texas Legislative
77+ Council that include population, voter data, and incumbent
78+ locations for the districts affected by the amendment.
8579 (c) The calendar clerk shall as soon as practicable make
86- filed amendment packets available to the members of the Senate.
87- The calendar clerk shall also work with the Texas Legislative
88- Council to provide hyperlinks from the bill webpage on the public
80+ filed amendment packets available to the members of the Senate. The
81+ calendar clerk shall also work with the Texas Legislative Council
82+ to provide hyperlinks from the bill webpage on the public
8983 legislative information website to the appropriate plan for each
90- amendment in the public DistrictViewer application operated by
91- the Texas Legislative Council.
84+ amendment in the public DistrictViewer application operated by the
85+ Texas Legislative Council.
9286 (d) An amendment packet for each original amendment that
9387 will be offered during second reading consideration of a
9488 legislative, congressional, or State Board of Education
95- redistricting bill must be filed with the calendar clerk by 9
96- a.m. on the third calendar day after the date the bill is reported
89+ redistricting bill must be filed with the calendar clerk by 9 a.m.
90+ on the third calendar day after the date the bill is reported
9791 favorably from a committee, excluding Sundays.
98- (e) A bill with filed amendments subject to Subsection
99- (d) of this section is not eligible for consideration on second
100- reading until amendment packets have been made available to
101- members of the Senate for at least 24 hours.
92+ (e) A bill with filed amendments subject to Subsection (d)
93+ of this section is not eligible for consideration on second reading
94+ until amendment packets have been made available to members of the
95+ Senate for at least 24 hours.
10296 (f) Subsections (d) and (e) of this section do not apply
10397 after the 122nd day of the regular session, nor to a bill that
104- originates in the House of Representatives during a called
105- session.
106- SECTION 5. AUTHORITY; CONFLICT OF RULES. The Senate
107- adopts these redistricting rules and procedures under the
108- authority of Section 11, Article III, Texas Constitution. All
109- questions of procedure not provided for in this resolution shall
110- be subject to the standing rules of the Senate. In case of any
111- conflict, the procedures herein shall prevail over a conflicting
112- Senate rule or procedure.
113- _______________________________
114- President of the Senate
115- I hereby certify that the
116- above Resolution was adopted by
117- the Senate on January 11, 2023,
118- by the following vote: Yeas 31,
119- Nays 0.
120- _______________________________
121- Secretary of the Senate
122- Establishing redistricting rules for the 88th Legislature.
98+ originates in the House of Representatives during a called session.
99+ SECTION 5. AUTHORITY; CONFLICT OF RULES. The Senate adopts
100+ these redistricting rules and procedures under the authority of
101+ Section 11, Article III, Texas Constitution. All questions of
102+ procedure not provided for in this resolution shall be subject to
103+ the standing rules of the Senate. In case of any conflict, the
104+ procedures herein shall prevail over a conflicting Senate rule or
105+ procedure.