Bill Text: TX HB151 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 3rd Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to establishing principles to govern redistricting plans enacted by the legislature.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-10-08 - Referred to Redistricting [HB151 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB151-Introduced.html
| 87S30514 JRJ-F | ||
| By: Davis | H.B. No. 151 | |
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| relating to establishing principles to govern redistricting plans | ||
| enacted by the legislature. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 3, Government Code, is amended | ||
| by adding Chapter 319A to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 319A. REDISTRICTING LEGISLATION | ||
| Sec. 319A.001. PRINCIPLES GOVERNING LEGISLATIVE | ||
| REDISTRICTING. (a) In enacting legislation adopting or modifying | ||
| a redistricting plan for the election of the Texas Senate, the Texas | ||
| House of Representatives, or the members of the United States House | ||
| of Representatives elected from this state, the legislature shall | ||
| ensure that the plan, including any modifications to the plan, | ||
| conforms to the following principles: | ||
| (1) a plan shall respect the integrity of the state's | ||
| basic geographic regions to the extent practicable; | ||
| (2) a plan shall avoid unnecessarily dividing counties | ||
| and municipalities in the formation of districts, and district | ||
| boundaries shall to the extent practicable be coterminous with the | ||
| boundaries of counties and municipalities, but if division of a | ||
| county or municipality is unavoidable, district lines must follow | ||
| boundaries such as rivers, mountains, state highways, or | ||
| residential subdivisions to the extent practicable; | ||
| (3) a plan shall to the extent practicable keep intact | ||
| communities of interest defined by social, economic, racial, | ||
| ethnic, cultural, industrial, commercial, and geographic | ||
| commonalities; | ||
| (4) a district shall be geographically compact and | ||
| composed of convenient contiguous territory; | ||
| (5) a plan may not be drawn with consideration to | ||
| partisan political effect or with intent to favor or disfavor any | ||
| specific person, political party, or other organization; | ||
| (6) a plan must comply with applicable state and | ||
| federal constitutional and statutory requirements, including the | ||
| federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Section 10101 et seq.); | ||
| (7) the districts in a plan must be equal in population | ||
| as nearly as practicable in accordance with the other principles | ||
| described by this subsection; and | ||
| (8) in addition to the requirements of federal law, | ||
| districts must be drawn in a manner that does not discriminate on | ||
| the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group | ||
| by ensuring the voting strength of racial, ethnic, and language | ||
| minorities in the districts is not intentionally or inadvertently | ||
| diluted in a manner that deprives minority voters of an equal | ||
| opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. | ||
| (b) The principle described by Subsection (a)(2) applies to | ||
| a plan for the election of the Texas House of Representatives in | ||
| addition to the requirements of Section 26, Article III, Texas | ||
| Constitution. District lines shall to the extent practicable be | ||
| coterminous with the boundaries of counties and municipalities. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the | ||
| last day of the legislative session. | ||
