Virginia Redistricting Commission; established. (SB742)

Introduced By

Sen. John Miller (D-Newport News)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Virginia Redistricting Commission created. Establishes a five-member commission to prepare redistricting plans for the House of Delegates, state Senate, and congressional districts. Appointments to the Commission shall be made one each by the four majority and minority party leaders of the House and Senate. Those four appointees shall appoint the fifth member and chair of the Commission. If they cannot agree on the fifth member by a majority of at least three members, they shall submit the names of the two persons receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court of Virginia for the Court to select the chairman. The Commission will prepare plans and submit them as bills to the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall then proceed to act on the bills in the usual manner. The bill provides for Commission comments on plans as they change in the legislative process. The bill also spells out the standards and process to be followed by the Commission in preparing plans, including limitations on the use of political data and opportunities for public comment on the plans. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Failed

History

DateAction
12/12/2012Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/13
12/12/2012Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/13 13101449D
12/12/2012Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
01/22/2013Impact statement from DPB (SB742)
01/22/2013Reported from Privileges and Elections (11-Y 4-N) (see vote tally)
01/24/2013Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/25/2013Read second time and engrossed
01/28/2013Read third time and passed Senate (33-Y 7-N) (see vote tally)
02/02/2013Placed on Calendar
02/02/2013Read first time
02/02/2013Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
02/04/2013Assigned P & E sub: Constitutional Amendments Subcommittee
02/11/2013Subcommittee recommends laying on the table
02/23/2013Left in Privileges and Elections

Comments

stephen writes:

And how much will this Commission cost the tax payers ?

Waldo Jaquith writes:

This bypartisan redistricting proposal isn't near as good as nonpartisan redistricting, but it'd be a heck of an improvement over the current system, in which the majority parties in each chamber simply select their preferred voting bloc by drawing a new district that best serves them.

ACLU-VA Voting Rights, tracking this bill in Photosynthesis, notes:

The ACLU of Virginia is monitoring this bill.