Sen. Kwame Raoul

Filed: 4/19/2016

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 322

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 322 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Interstate Compact for Fair Representation Act.
 
6    Section 5. Interstate Compact for Fair Representation. The
7Governor is hereby authorized to enter into a compact on behalf
8of this State with any of the United States legally joining
9therein in the form substantially as follows:
 
10
INTERSTATE COMPACT FOR FAIR REPRESENTATION

 
11Article I - Membership.
12    Any State of the United States may become a member of this
13Interstate Compact for Fair Representation by enacting this
14agreement.
 

 

 

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1Article II - Definitions.
2    In this agreement the following words have the meanings
3indicated:
4        (a) "Coalition district" means a district where more
5    than one group of racial minorities or language minorities
6    may form a coalition to elect the candidate of the
7    coalition's choice.
8        (b) "Commission" means the independent congressional
9    redistricting commission established by the compacting
10    states under this agreement.
11        (c) "Communities of interest" means a group of people
12    concentrated in a geographic area, such as a specific
13    region or neighborhood, who share similar social,
14    cultural, ethnic, economic, religious, or political
15    interests and priorities.
16        (d) "Competitive district" means a district that has a
17    substantially equal partisan balance.
18        (e) "Crossover district" means a district where a
19    racial minority or language minority constitutes less than
20    a majority of the voting-age population but where this
21    minority, at least potentially, is large enough to elect
22    the candidate of its choice with help from voters who are
23    members of the majority and who cross over to support the
24    minority's preferred candidate.
25        (f) "District" means a congressional district.

 

 

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1        (g) "Influence district" means a district where a
2    racial minority or language minority can influence the
3    outcome of an election even if its preferred candidate
4    cannot be elected.
5        (h) "Language minority" means a class of voters who are
6    members of a language group receiving protection under the
7    federal Voting Rights Act.
8        (i) "Member state" means each state that has enacted
9    this agreement.
10        (j) "Plan" means the congressional redistricting plan
11    drawn for a member state by the commission under this
12    agreement.
13        (k) "Racial minority" means a class of voters who are
14    members of a race or color group receiving protection under
15    the federal Voting Rights Act.
 
16Article III - Independent Congressional Redistricting
17Commission.
18    Each member state shall establish an independent
19congressional redistricting commission. The members of the
20commission shall be appointed no later than February 1 of the
21year following a federal decennial census. Each member of the
22commission shall serve a 10-year term. The commission shall be
23composed as follows:
24        (a) Ten members appointed by the state chair of the
25    political party with the greatest number of seats in the

 

 

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1    state legislature;
2        (b) Ten members appointed by the state chair of the
3    political party with the second greatest number of seats in
4    the state legislature;
5        (c) The commission must reflect the race and gender
6    demographics of the state;
7        (d) To the extent practicable, the commission should
8    represent distinct geographic regions of the state
9    according to population distribution;
10        (e) To be eligible to become a member of the
11    commission, an individual may not:
12            (1) hold an elected office;
13            (2) be a candidate for an elected office;
14            (3) be the spouse, parent, or child of an
15        individual who holds an elected office or is a
16        candidate for elected office;
17            (4) serve as an officer, an employee, or a paid
18        consultant of a political party or candidate campaign
19        for elected office;
20            (5) be a registered lobbyist; or
21            (6) have held elected office or run as a candidate
22        for elected office at any time during the ten-year
23        period ending on December 31 preceding the date of
24        appointment.
 
25Article IV - Vacancy.

 

 

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1    A vacancy in the commission shall be filled in the manner
2in which the original appointment was made.
 
3Article V - Independent Congressional Redistricting Plan.
4    The commission shall develop a congressional redistricting
5plan for the member state. The commission's starting point for
6drawing the plan shall be the member state's census tract map
7according to the most recent federal decennial census.
8Adjustments to the map shall then be made as necessary to
9accomplish the goals as set forth below. Each district shall,
10in order of priority:
11        (a) Be substantially equal in population.
12        (b) Be consistent with the federal Voting Rights Act
13    and any other applicable federal or state law.
14        (c) Provide racial minorities and language minorities
15    with the equal opportunity to participate in the political
16    process and elect candidates of their choice.
17        (d) Create crossover districts, coalition districts,
18    or influence districts to provide racial minorities and
19    language minorities who constitute less than a voting-age
20    majority of a district with an opportunity to control or
21    substantially influence the outcome of an election.
22        (e) Be contiguous, except to the extent necessary to
23    include any area which is surrounded by a body of water.
24        (f) Respect, to the extent practicable, communities of
25    interest as determined on the basis of census tract or

 

 

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1    other relevant information.
2        (g) Respect, to the extent practicable, visible
3    geographic features, city, town, and county boundaries,
4    and undivided census tracts.
5        (h) Be compact.
6    To the extent practicable, competitive districts should be
7favored where to do so would create no significant detriment to
8goals (a) through (h).
 
9Article VI - Population Count.
10    The population count used for the purpose of creating the
11independent congressional redistricting plan shall count
12individuals incarcerated in state or federal correctional
13facilities, as determined by the federal decennial census, at
14their last known residence before incarceration if the
15individuals were residents of the member state. The population
16count may not include individuals incarcerated in state or
17federal correctional facilities who were not residents of the
18state before their incarceration.
 
19Article VII - Voting.
20    A plan may be adopted by the commission only if:
21        (a) a majority of the full membership of the commission
22    votes for adoption; and
23        (b) at least two members appointed by the state chair
24    of the political party with the greatest number of seats in

 

 

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1    the state legislature, and at least two members appointed
2    by the state chair of the political party with the second
3    greatest number of seats in the state legislature, vote for
4    adoption.
 
5Article VIII - Timing.
6    The commission shall adopt a redistricting plan following
7each federal decennial census. The commission shall not adopt
8any redistricting plan mid-decade before the next federal
9decennial census.
 
10Article IX - Internet Website.
11    As soon as practicable after establishing the commission,
12the member state shall establish and maintain a public Internet
13website for the commission which meets all of the following
14requirements:
15        (a) The site is updated continuously to provide advance
16    notice of commission hearings and to otherwise provide
17    timely information on the activities of the commission.
18        (b) The site contains the most recent available
19    information from the United States Bureau of the Census on
20    voting-age population, voter registration, and voting in
21    the state, including precinct-level and census tract-level
22    data as well as detailed maps reflecting such information.
23        (c) The site includes interactive software that
24    enables any individual to design a redistricting plan for

 

 

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1    the member state in accordance with the criteria described
2    in Article IV.
3        (d) The site permits any individual to submit a
4    proposed redistricting plan to the commission, and to
5    submit questions, comments, and other information with
6    respect to the commission's activities.
 
7Article X - Public Hearings.
8    The commission shall operate in an open and transparent
9manner and shall solicit public feedback in drawing a plan. The
10commission shall hold public hearings in distinct geographic
11regions of the state according to population distribution at
12which members of the public may provide input, including
13submitting proposed redistricting plans. The commission shall
14hold at least one public hearing in each congressional district
15and shall hold the following minimum number of hearings:
16        (a) A member state with at least 3 congressional
17    districts shall hold at least 6 hearings.
18        (b) A member state with no fewer than 3 but not more
19    than 6 congressional districts shall hold at least 8
20    hearings.
21        (c) A member state with no fewer than 6 but not more
22    than 9 congressional districts shall hold at least 12
23    hearings.
24        (d) A member state with no fewer than 9 but not more
25    than 15 congressional districts shall hold at least 18

 

 

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1    hearings.
2        (e) A member state with no fewer than 15 but not more
3    than 20 congressional districts shall hold at least 22
4    hearings.
5        (f) A member state with more than 20 congressional
6    districts shall hold at least one hearing for each district
7    plus 5 additional hearings.
 
8Article XI - Public Notice.
9        (a) Hearings. Not fewer than 7 days before a public
10    hearing, the commission shall issue public notice of the
11    hearing time and location, including but not limited to
12    posting the notice on the commission's website.
13        (b) Submission to legislature. Not fewer than 7 days
14    before submitting a redistricting plan to the legislature,
15    the commission shall issue public notice, including but not
16    limited to posting the notice on the commission's web site.
17    The notice shall contain the following information:
18            (1) A detailed version of the plan, including a map
19        showing each congressional district established under
20        the plan and the voting-age population by race of each
21        district;
22            (2) A statement providing specific information on
23        the commission's methodology for drawing the plan and
24        how the plan would serve the public interest;
25            (3) Any dissenting statements of any members of the

 

 

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1        commission who did not approve of submitting the plan
2        to the legislature.
 
3Article XII - Submission of Plan to Legislature.
4    The commission shall submit its redistricting plan to the
5legislature of the member state no later than June 1 of the
6year following a federal decennial census.
 
7Article XIII - Consideration of Plan by Legislature.
8    After receiving any redistricting plan submitted by the
9commission, the legislature shall, by July 1 of the year
10following a federal decennial census:
11        (a) Approve the plan as submitted by the commission
12    without amendment and forward the plan to the chief
13    executive of the member state; or
14        (b) Reject the plan and provide a written statement to
15    the commission explaining the reasons for rejecting the
16    plan.
 
17Article XIV - Enactment of Plan.
18    The enactment of the district map submitted by the
19commission shall occur in the capitol city of the member state
20no later than July 15 of the year following a federal decennial
21census. A redistricting plan developed by the commission shall
22be considered to be enacted into law if the plan is forwarded
23to the chief executive of the state and:

 

 

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1        (a) The chief executive approves the plan as forwarded
2    by the legislature without amendment; or
3        (b) The chief executive vetoes the plan and the
4    legislature overrides the veto without amendment in
5    accordance with the applicable law of the member state.
6    In the case of a member state in which the chief executive
7is prohibited under state law from acting on a redistricting
8plan, the plan developed by the commission shall be considered
9to be enacted into law if the legislature approves the plan as
10submitted by the commission without amendment.
 
11Article XV - Failure to Enact Plan.
12    If the legislature rejects the plan submitted by the
13commission or the chief executive of the member state vetoes
14the plan and the legislature does not override the veto, the
15commission shall revise and modify the plan and resubmit it to
16the legislature no later than August 1 of the year following a
17federal decennial census. The legislature shall, as provided in
18Article XIII, either approve the plan without amendment and
19forward to the chief executive, or reject the plan and provide
20the commission with a written statement explaining the reasons
21for rejection, no later than August 15 of the year following a
22federal decennial census.
 
23Article XVI - Judicial Review.
24    If a redistricting plan developed by the commission is not

 

 

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1enacted into law by September 1 of the year following a federal
2decennial census, the commission shall submit its
3redistricting plans to the highest court of the member state,
4which shall select one of the submitted plans to serve as the
5redistricting plan for the state no later than October 1 of the
6year following a federal decennial census. The court may not
7modify any redistricting plan submitted by the commission.
 
8Article XVII - Other Laws.
9    Nothing in this agreement shall be construed, applied, or
10implemented in a way that imposes any requirement or obligation
11that conflicts with the United States Constitution or any
12federal law regarding redistricting congressional districts,
13including but not limited to the Voting Rights Act.
 
14Article XVIII - Effective Date.
15    The several states are invited to concur in this agreement
16by enactment of a similar act. This agreement shall take effect
17when every state with three or more congressional districts at
18the time of redistricting has enacted this agreement in
19substantially the same form and the enactments by such states
20have taken effect in each state. It shall continue in effect if
21a member state with 3 congressional districts loses a district
22following a federal decennial census occurring after the
23agreement takes effect. If, following a federal decennial
24census occurring after the agreement takes effect, a non-member

 

 

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1state is entitled to an additional congressional district that
2would bring the non-member state's total number of
3congressional districts to 3 or more, the agreement shall be
4suspended until the non-member state enacts this agreement and
5the enactment takes effect.
6    The chief executive of each member state shall promptly
7notify the chief executive of all other states when this
8agreement has been enacted in that official's state or when the
9state has withdrawn from this agreement.
 
10Article XIX - Withdrawal.
11    Any member state may withdraw from this agreement, except
12that a withdrawal occurring 6 months or less before a general
13election in which any member of Congress is on the ballot shall
14not become effective until after the election results are
15certified.
 
16Article XX - Compliance.
17    A member state is not required to comply with this compact
18if:
19        (a) the commission of any member state fails to adopt a
20    congressional redistricting plan; or
21        (b) the Attorney General of any member state determines
22    that another member state has repealed, replaced, or failed
23    to implement any aspect of this compact, including but not
24    limited to failing to establish an independent

 

 

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1    redistricting commission or failing to implement the
2    district map adopted by the commission.
 
3Article XXI - Severability.
4    If any provision of this agreement is held invalid, the
5remaining provisions shall not be affected.
 
6Article XXII - Enforcement.
7    The agencies and officers of each member state and its
8subdivisions shall enforce this compact and do all things
9appropriate to effect its purpose and intent that may be within
10their respective jurisdictions, including but not limited to
11adopting any legislation or regulations necessary to implement
12this agreement.
 
13    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
14becoming law.".