Bill Text: TX HB3054 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to establishing principles to govern redistricting plans enacted by the legislature.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-19 - Referred to Redistricting [HB3054 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB3054-Introduced.html
| 87R11732 TJB-D | ||
| By: Collier | H.B. No. 3054 | |
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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, the State Board of Education, 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 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; | ||
| (2) a plan shall to the extent practicable keep intact | ||
| communities of interest defined by social, economic, racial, | ||
| ethnic, cultural, industrial, commercial, and geographic | ||
| commonalities; | ||
| (3) a plan must protect minority voting rights in | ||
| accordance 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.); and | ||
| (4) the districts in a plan must be equal in population | ||
| as nearly as practicable in accordance with the other principles | ||
| described by this subsection. | ||
| (b) The principle described by Subsection (a)(1) 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 September 1, 2021. | ||
