Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB69 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R345 JRJ-F
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 69
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4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of the Texas Redistricting
10	10	Commission.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. The heading to Title 5, Government Code, is
13	13	amended to read as follows:
14	14	TITLE 5. OPEN GOVERNMENT; ETHICS; REDISTRICTING
15	15	SECTION 2. Title 5, Government Code, is amended by adding
16	16	Subtitle C to read as follows:
17	17	SUBTITLE C. REDISTRICTING
18	18	CHAPTER 581. TEXAS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION
19	19	SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
20	20	Sec. 581.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
21	21	(1) "Census year" means a calendar year in which the
22	22	United States decennial census is taken.
23	23	(2) "Commission" means the Texas Redistricting
24	24	Commission.
25	25	SUBCHAPTER B. POWERS AND DUTIES
26	26	Sec. 581.051. POWERS AND DUTIES OF COMMISSION. The
27	27	commission has the sole responsibility to create districts for the
28	28	election of members of the United States House of Representatives,
29	29	the Texas House of Representatives, and the Texas Senate.
30	30	SUBCHAPTER C. MEMBERSHIP
31	31	Sec. 581.101. ELIGIBILITY. (a) Except as otherwise
32	32	provided by this subchapter, a Texas voter who is older than 25
33	33	years of age is eligible for membership on the commission.
34	34	(b) An applicant for appointment to the commission must
35	35	submit an application to the secretary of state.
36	36	(c) An applicant for appointment by members of the
37	37	legislature belonging to a political party must have voted in that
38	38	party's previous four primary elections. An applicant for
39	39	appointment as an independent member may not have voted
40	40	consecutively in the same political party's primary election during
41	41	the previous three primary elections.
42	42	(d) An applicant is ineligible for membership on the
43	43	commission if the applicant:
44	44	(1) holds a public office;
45	45	(2) has held a public office in the four years
46	46	preceding appointment to the commission;
47	47	(3) is running for public office;
48	48	(4) is working under an elected official;
49	49	(5) is working for a political campaign for state or
50	50	federal office; or
51	51	(6) is a registered state or federal lobbyist.
52	52	(e) A commission member may not:
53	53	(1) run for public office during the member's term;
54	54	(2) run for public office during the two years
55	55	following the adoption of a redistricting plan by the commission;
56	56	(3) work under an elected official during the member's
57	57	term;
58	58	(4) work for or contribute to a campaign for state or
59	59	federal office during the member's term; or
60	60	(5) register as a state or federal lobbyist during the
61	61	member's term.
62	62	Sec. 581.102. MEMBERSHIP AND TERMS. (a) The commission
63	63	consists of nine members chosen from eligible applicants under
64	64	Section 581.101.
65	65	(b) Eight members of the commission shall be appointed in a
66	66	bipartisan manner by the legislature, as follows:
67	67	(1) two members are appointed by a majority vote of the
68	68	members of the Texas House of Representatives belonging to the
69	69	political party with the most members in the house of
70	70	representatives;
71	71	(2) two members are appointed by a majority vote of the
72	72	members of the Texas House of Representatives belonging to the
73	73	political party with the second highest number of members in the
74	74	house of representatives;
75	75	(3) two members are appointed by a majority vote of the
76	76	members of the Texas Senate belonging to the political party with
77	77	the most members in the senate; and
78	78	(4) two members are appointed by a majority vote of the
79	79	members of the Texas Senate belonging to the political party with
80	80	the second highest number of members in the senate.
81	81	(c) The ninth member of the commission shall be chosen from
82	82	among the independent applicants by the eight members appointed by
83	83	the legislature. The appointment requires at least five votes and
84	84	shall be made not later than the 30th day after the commission
85	85	convenes. The ninth member serves as a nonvoting presiding
86	86	officer, except that the member shall vote to break any tie vote on
87	87	the final adoption of a redistricting plan.
88	88	(d) At least one member of the commission chosen by members
89	89	of each chamber of the legislature must reside in a county that is
90	90	not part of a metropolitan statistical area as defined by the United
91	91	States Office of Management and Budget.
92	92	(e) Commission members serve three-year terms that begin on
93	93	February 1 of the year following the census year. The commission may
94	94	vote to:
95	95	(1) terminate their terms early and dissolve following
96	96	the adoption of all redistricting plans; or
97	97	(2) extend their terms as necessary to fulfill the
98	98	commission's obligations under the constitution.
99	99	(f) The commission shall convene on the first business day
100	100	in February of the year following the census year and at other times
101	101	necessary to fulfill its obligations under the constitution.
102	102	(g) Vacancies on the commission shall be filled not later
103	103	than the 20th day after the vacancy occurs in the same manner as the
104	104	vacated position is filled under Subsections (b) and (c).
105	105	(h) If the appointments under Subsection (b) are not made by
106	106	February 1 of the year following the census year, the caucus of the
107	107	political party whose members are responsible for the appointment
108	108	shall appoint the commission member not later than February 11. If
109	109	the commission fails to appoint its presiding officer when
110	110	required, the supreme court shall make the appointment not later
111	111	than March 15.
112	112	(i) Members of the commission must take a constitutional
113	113	oath of office.
114	114	SUBCHAPTER D. OPERATION OF THE COMMISSION
115	115	Sec. 581.151. FUNDING AND RESOURCES. (a) The legislature
116	116	shall appropriate sufficient money for the compensation and payment
117	117	of the expenses of commission members and any staff employed by the
118	118	commission.
119	119	(b) The commission shall be provided access to statistical
120	120	or other information compiled by the state or its political
121	121	subdivisions as necessary to perform the commission's duties.
122	122	(c) The Texas Legislative Council shall provide the
123	123	technical staff and clerical services that the commission needs to
124	124	prepare redistricting plans.
125	125	(d) After the commission suspends operations, the secretary
126	126	of state becomes the custodian of its official records for purposes
127	127	of election administration. Any unexpended money from an
128	128	appropriation to the commission reverts to the general revenue
129	129	fund.
130	130	Sec. 581.152. PROCEDURE. (a) The commission shall adopt
131	131	its own procedural rules. The adoption of a final redistricting
132	132	plan by the commission requires at least five votes.
133	133	(b) The commission shall adopt each redistricting plan not
134	134	later than November 15 of the year following the census year.
135	135	(c) If the commission does not adopt a plan before November
136	136	16 of the year following the census year, the Texas Supreme Court
137	137	shall adopt a plan not later than December 30.
138	138	(d) The commission shall submit each adopted redistricting
139	139	plan to the governor, the secretary of state, and the presiding
140	140	officer of each chamber of the legislature.
141	141	Sec. 581.153. CHALLENGES TO PLAN. (a) After a
142	142	redistricting plan has been adopted by the commission or the Texas
143	143	Supreme Court, any aggrieved person may file a petition with the
144	144	Texas Supreme Court to challenge the plan.
145	145	(b) If the final judgment of a state or federal court
146	146	invalidates all or part of a redistricting plan or otherwise makes
147	147	it unenforceable, the commission shall reconvene to modify and
148	148	adopt a new plan before January 31 of the next year.
149	149	(c) The commission may reconvene on the motion of at least
150	150	four members filed with the secretary of state any time after a
151	151	redistricting plan has been adopted to modify the plan and at other
152	152	times necessary to fulfill its obligations under the constitution.
153	153	Sec. 581.154. PLAN REQUIREMENTS. To the extent practicable
154	154	to comply with federal law, a redistricting plan adopted by the
155	155	commission must be composed of:
156	156	(1) districts contiguous with one another;
157	157	(2) districts of nearly equal population; and
158	158	(3) districts that are compact and convenient, and
159	159	separated from adjoining districts by natural geographic barriers,
160	160	artificial barriers, or political subdivision boundaries.
161	161	Sec. 581.155. PLAN REPORT. (a) Each redistricting plan the
162	162	commission adopts must include a report, given to the secretary of
163	163	state, that includes:
164	164	(1) the total population of each district with its
165	165	deviation from the average district population;
166	166	(2) an explanation of the criteria used for the
167	167	redistricting plan, with a justification of the deviation from the
168	168	average district population for each district;
169	169	(3) a map for each district;
170	170	(4) a financial statement disclosing all expenditures
171	171	made by the commission; and
172	172	(5) relevant information developed by the commission
173	173	in carrying out its duties, including maps, data, meeting minutes,
174	174	written communications, and other information.
175	175	(b) The secretary of state shall make a copy of the report
176	176	available to the public.
177	177	SECTION 3. (a) Except as otherwise provided by Subsection
178	178	(b) of this section, this Act takes effect January 1, 2030.
179	179	(b) This Act takes effect only if the constitutional
180	180	amendment proposed by the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025,
181	181	establishing the Texas Redistricting Commission to redistrict the
182	182	United States House of Representatives and the Texas Legislature is
183	183	approved by the voters. If that proposed constitutional amendment
184	184	is not approved by the voters, this Act has no effect.