Constitutional amendment; establishing Redistricting Commission (first reference). (SJ312)

Introduced By

Sen. John Miller (D-Newport News)

Description

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: one President pro tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Delegates, and minority party leader of each house. Those four Commission members will appoint a fifth member to serve as chair. 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 10 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. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History