89R346 JRJ-D
By: Zaffirini S.J.R. No. 8
A JOINT RESOLUTION
proposing a constitutional amendment establishing the Texas
Redistricting Commission to redistrict the United States House of
Representatives and the Texas Legislature.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by
adding Section 28a to read as follows:
Sec. 28a. (a) The Texas Redistricting Commission exercises
the legislative authority of this state to adopt redistricting
plans for the election of members of the United States House of
Representatives elected from this state, the Texas House of
Representatives, and the Texas Senate. Districts for those
legislative bodies may not be established or changed except as
provided by this section.
(b) The legislature shall provide by general law for the
composition and operation of the Texas Redistricting Commission.
(c) This section takes effect January 1, 2030. On that
date, the Legislative Redistricting Board is abolished and Section
28 of this article is repealed. The Texas Redistricting Commission
shall convene for the first time on the first business day after
January 31, 2031. This subsection expires January 1, 2032.
SECTION 2. Section 7a, Article V, Texas Constitution, is
amended by amending Subsections (e) and (i) and adding Subsection
(j) to read as follows:
(e) Unless the legislature enacts a statewide
reapportionment of the judicial districts following each federal
decennial census, the board shall convene not later than the first
Monday of June of the third year following the year in which the
federal decennial census is taken to make a statewide
reapportionment of the districts. The board shall complete its
work on the reapportionment and file its order with the secretary of
state not later than August 31 of the same year. If the Judicial
Districts Board fails to make a statewide apportionment by that
date, the Texas [Legislative] Redistricting Commission [Board]
established by Article III, Section 28a [28], of this constitution
shall convene on September 1 of the same year to make a statewide
reapportionment of the judicial districts not later than the 90th
[150th] day after the final day for the Judicial Districts Board to
make the reapportionment.
(i) The legislature, the Judicial Districts Board, or the
Texas [Legislative] Redistricting Commission [Board] may not
redistrict the judicial districts to provide for any judicial
district smaller in size than an entire county except as provided by
this section. Judicial districts smaller in size than the entire
county may be created subsequent to a general election where a
majority of the persons voting on the proposition adopt the
proposition "to allow the division of ____________ County into
judicial districts composed of parts of ____________ County." No
redistricting plan may be proposed or adopted by the legislature,
the Judicial Districts Board, or the Texas [Legislative]
Redistricting Commission [Board] in anticipation of a future action
by the voters of any county.
(j) Until January 1, 2030, a reference in this section to
the Texas Redistricting Commission means the Legislative
Redistricting Board established under Article III, Section 28, of
this constitution. This subsection expires January 1, 2031.
SECTION 3. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025.
The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
following proposition: "The constitutional amendment establishing
the Texas Redistricting Commission to redistrict the United States
House of Representatives and the Texas Legislature."