SJ59: Constitutional amendment; establishing Redistricting Commission (first reference).

Chief Patron

John Miller (D-1)
Newport News, VA
Served: 2008–

Progress

	Introduced
	Passed Committee
	Passed House
	Passed Senate

Status

01/22/2008: Failed to Pass in Committee

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Summary

Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Virginia Redistricting Commission. Establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw Congressional and General Assembly district boundaries after each decennial census. Appointments to the five-member Commission are to be made in the census year from a list of 15 retired judges prepared by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as follows: one each by the Governor, President pro tempore of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Delegates and those three Commission members to appoint two additional members from the list. However, the last two appointments will be made by the minority party leaders of the Senate and House of Delegates if the Governor, President pro tempore, and Speaker are all members of the same party. The five members shall elect one of their number to serve as chairman. The Commission is directed to submit to the General Assembly district plans for the General Assembly within one month of receipt of the new census data or by March 1 of the year following the census, whichever is later, and for the House of Representatives within three months of receipt of the census data or by June 1 of the year following the census, whichever is later. The General Assembly may amend the Commission's plan by a two-thirds vote not to affect any district's population by more than two percent. The standards to govern redistricting plans include the current Constitution's standards on population equality, compactness, and contiguity and additional standards to minimize splits of localities and to prohibit consideration of incumbency and political data. If the General Assembly fails to pass the plan, the Supreme Court will devise the final plan.

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