Bill Text: IL HJRCA0010 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Proposes to amend the Legislature Article of the Illinois Constitution. Creates the Independent Redistricting Commission to adopt and file with the Secretary of State a redistricting plan for Legislative and Representative Districts. Provides for the selection of Commissioners and establishes the authority of a Special Commissioner to design a redistricting plan in the event that the Commission fails to properly adopt and file a redistricting plan. Effective beginning with redistricting in 2021 and applies to members elected in 2022 and thereafter.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 45-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-07-11 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Bradley Stephens [HJRCA0010 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HJRCA0010-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT HC0010 Introduced , by Rep. Jim Durkin - Tim Butler - Grant Wehrli - Lindsay Parkhurst - Deanne M. Mazzochi, et al. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 3
Proposes to amend the Legislature Article of the Illinois Constitution. Creates the Independent Redistricting Commission to adopt and file with the Secretary of State a redistricting plan for Legislative and Representative Districts. Provides for the selection of Commissioners and establishes the authority of a Special Commissioner to design a redistricting plan in the event that the Commission fails to properly adopt and file a redistricting plan. Effective beginning with redistricting in 2021 and applies to members elected in 2022 and thereafter.
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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the
electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general
election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption of
this resolution a proposition to amend Section 3 of Article IV
of the Illinois Constitution as follows:
ARTICLE IV
THE LEGISLATURE
(ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 3)
SECTION 3. LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING
(a) The Independent Redistricting Commission comprising 11
Commissioners shall adopt and file with the Secretary of State
a redistricting plan for Legislative Districts and
Representative Districts by June 30 of the year following each
Federal decennial census. Legislative Districts shall be
contiguous and substantially equal in population.
Representative Districts shall be contiguous and substantially
equal in population. The redistricting plan shall comply with
Federal law. Subject to the foregoing, the Commission shall
apply the following criteria: (1) the redistricting plan shall

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not dilute or diminish the ability of a racial or language
minority community to elect the candidates of its choice,
including when voting in concert with other persons; (2) the
redistricting plan shall respect the geographic integrity of
units of local government; and (3) the redistricting plan shall
respect the geographic integrity of communities sharing common
social and economic interests, which do not include
relationships with political parties or candidates for office.
The redistricting plan shall not either intentionally or unduly
discriminate against or intentionally or unduly favor any
political party, political group, or particular person. In
designing the redistricting plan, the Commission shall
consider party registration and voting history data only to
assess compliance with the requirements in this subsection (a).
(b) For the purpose of conducting the Commissioner
selection process, an Applicant Review Panel comprising three
Reviewers shall be chosen in the manner set forth in this
subsection (b). Beginning not later than January 1 and ending
not later than March 1 of the year in which the Federal
decennial census occurs, the Auditor General shall request and
accept applications to serve as a Reviewer. The Auditor General
shall review all applications and select a pool of 30 potential
Reviewers. The Auditor General should select applicants for the
pool of potential Reviewers who would operate in an ethical and
non-partisan manner by considering whether each applicant is a
resident and registered voter of the State and has been for the

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four years preceding his or her application, has demonstrated
understanding of and adherence to standards of ethical conduct,
and has been unaffiliated with any political party for the
three years preceding appointment. By March 31 of the year in
which the Federal decennial census occurs, the Auditor General
shall publicly select by random draw the Panel of three
Reviewers from the pool of potential Reviewers.
(c) Beginning not later than January 1 and ending not later
than March 1 of the year in which the Federal decennial census
occurs, the Auditor General shall request and accept
applications to serve as a Commissioner on the Independent
Redistricting Commission. By May 31, the Panel shall select a
pool of 100 potential Commissioners. The Panel should select
applicants for the pool of potential Commissioners who would be
diverse and unaffected by conflicts of interest by considering
whether each applicant is a resident and registered voter of
the State and has been for the four years preceding his or her
application, as well as each applicant's prior political
experience, relevant analytical skills, ability to contribute
to a fair redistricting process, and ability to represent the
demographic and geographic diversity of the State. The Panel
shall act by affirmative vote of two Reviewers. All records of
the Panel, including applications to serve on the Panel, shall
be open for public inspection, except private information about
applicants for which there is no compelling public interest in
disclosure.

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(d) Within 45 days after the Panel has selected the pool of
100 potential Commissioners, but not later than June 23 of the
year in which the Federal decennial census occurs, the Speaker
and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and the
President and Minority Leader of the Senate each may remove up
to five of those potential Commissioners. Thereafter, but not
later than June 30, the Panel shall publicly select seven
Commissioners by random draw from the remaining pool of
potential Commissioners; of those seven Commissioners,
including any replacements, (1) the seven Commissioners shall
reside among the Judicial Districts in the same proportion as
the number of Judges elected therefrom under Section 3 of
Article VI of this Constitution, (2) two Commissioners shall be
affiliated with the political party whose candidate for
Governor received the most votes cast in the last general
election for Governor, two Commissioners shall be affiliated
with the political party whose candidate for Governor received
the second-most votes cast in such election and the remaining
three Commissioners shall not be affiliated with either such
political party, and (3) no more than two Commissioners may be
affiliated with the same political party. The Speaker and
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and the
President and Minority Leader of the Senate each shall appoint
one Commissioner from among the remaining applicants in the
pool of potential Commissioners on the basis of the appointee's
contribution to the demographic and geographic diversity of the

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Commission. A vacancy on the Panel or Commission shall be
filled within five days by a potential Reviewer or potential
Commissioner from among the applicants remaining in the pool of
potential Reviewers or potential Commissioners, respectively,
in the manner in which the office was previously filled.
(e) The Commission shall act in public meetings by
affirmative vote of six Commissioners, except that approval of
any redistricting plan shall require the affirmative vote of at
least (1) seven Commissioners total, (2) two Commissioners from
each political party whose candidate for Governor received the
most and second-most votes cast in the last general election
for Governor, and (3) two Commissioners not affiliated with
either such political party. The Commission shall elect its
chairperson and vice chairperson, who shall not be affiliated
with the same political party. Six Commissioners shall
constitute a quorum. All meetings of the Commission attended by
a quorum, except for meetings qualified under attorney-client
privilege, shall be open to the public and publicly noticed at
least two days prior to the meeting. All records of the
Commission, including communications between Commissioners
regarding the Commission's work, shall be open for public
inspection, except for records qualified under attorney-client
privilege. The Commission shall adopt rules governing its
procedure, public hearings, and the implementation of matters
under this Section. The Commission shall hold public hearings
throughout the State both before and after releasing the

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initial proposed redistricting plan. The Commission may not
adopt a final redistricting plan unless the plan to be adopted
without further amendment, and a report explaining its
compliance with this Constitution, have been publicly noticed
at least seven days before the final vote on such plan.
(f) If the Commission fails to adopt and file with the
Secretary of State a redistricting plan by June 30 of the year
following a Federal decennial census, the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court and the most senior Judge of the Supreme Court
who is not affiliated with the same political party as the
Chief Justice shall appoint jointly by July 31 a Special
Commissioner for Redistricting. The Special Commissioner shall
adopt and file with the Secretary of State by August 31 a
redistricting plan satisfying the requirements set forth in
subsection (a) of this Section and a report explaining its
compliance with this Constitution. The Special Commissioner
shall hold at least one public hearing in the State before
releasing his or her initial proposed redistricting plan and at
least one public hearing in a different location in the State
after releasing his or her initial proposed redistricting plan,
and before filing the final redistricting plan with the
Secretary of State. All records of the Special Commissioner
shall be open for public inspection, except for records
qualified under attorney-client privilege.
(g) An adopted redistricting plan filed with the Secretary
of State shall be presumed valid and shall be published

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promptly by the Secretary of State.
(h) The Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction in
cases relating to matters under this Section.
(a) Legislative Districts shall be compact, contiguous and
substantially equal in population. Representative Districts
shall be compact, contiguous, and substantially equal in
population.
(b) In the year following each Federal decennial census
year, the General Assembly by law shall redistrict the
Legislative Districts and the Representative Districts.
If no redistricting plan becomes effective by June 30 of
that year, a Legislative Redistricting Commission shall be
constituted not later than July 10. The Commission shall
consist of eight members, no more than four of whom shall be
members of the same political party.
The Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives shall each appoint to the Commission one
Representative and one person who is not a member of the
General Assembly. The President and Minority Leader of the
Senate shall each appoint to the Commission one Senator and one
person who is not a member of the General Assembly.
The members shall be certified to the Secretary of State by
the appointing authorities. A vacancy on the Commission shall
be filled within five days by the authority that made the
original appointment. A Chairman and Vice Chairman shall be
chosen by a majority of all members of the Commission.

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Not later than August 10, the Commission shall file with
the Secretary of State a redistricting plan approved by at
least five members.
If the Commission fails to file an approved redistricting
plan, the Supreme Court shall submit the names of two persons,
not of the same political party, to the Secretary of State not
later than September 1.
Not later than September 5, the Secretary of State publicly
shall draw by random selection the name of one of the two
persons to serve as the ninth member of the Commission.
Not later than October 5, the Commission shall file with
the Secretary of State a redistricting plan approved by at
least five members.
An approved redistricting plan filed with the Secretary of
State shall be presumed valid, shall have the force and effect
of law and shall be published promptly by the Secretary of
State.
The Supreme Court shall have original and exclusive
jurisdiction over actions concerning redistricting the House
and Senate, which shall be initiated in the name of the People
of the State by the Attorney General.
(Source: Amendment adopted at general election November 4,
1980.)
SCHEDULE
This Constitutional Amendment takes effect beginning with

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redistricting in 2021 and applies to the election of members of
the General Assembly in 2022 and thereafter.