Bill Text: FL S1628 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Joint Resolution of Apportionment

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2012-03-09 - Died in Reapportionment, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/SJR 1176 (Passed) [S1628 Detail]

Download: Florida-2012-S1628-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2012                                   SJR 1628
       
       
       
       By Senator Gaetz
       
       
       
       
       4-01604-12                                            20121628__
    1                       Senate Joint Resolution                     
    2         A joint resolution of apportionment; providing for the
    3         apportionment of the House of Representatives and the
    4         Senate (plans _______ and _______); adopting the
    5         United States Decennial Census of 2010 for use in such
    6         apportionment; providing for the inclusion of omitted
    7         areas; providing contiguity for areas specified for
    8         inclusion in one district which are noncontiguous;
    9         specifying that the apportioned districts constitute
   10         the legislative districts of the state; providing for
   11         severability of invalid portions; providing for
   12         application beginning in 2012.
   13  
   14  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Official census for apportionment; definitions.—
   17         (1) In accordance with Section 8(a), Article X of the State
   18  Constitution, the United States Decennial Census of 2010 is the
   19  official census of the state for the purposes of this joint
   20  resolution.
   21         (2) The following delineation of representative and
   22  senatorial districts employs areas included within official
   23  county, voting tabulation district, tract, and block boundary
   24  descriptions used by the United States Department of Commerce,
   25  Bureau of the Census, in compiling the United States Decennial
   26  Census of 2010 in this state. The populations within these
   27  census geographic units are the population figures reported in
   28  the counts of the United States Decennial Census of 2010
   29  provided to the state in accordance with Pub. L. No. 94-171.
   30         (3) As used in this joint resolution, the term:
   31         (a) “Block” describes the smallest geographic unit for
   32  which population was tabulated in the 2010 decennial census.
   33  Blocks are nested within tracts and within voting tabulation
   34  districts. A block is identified by a four-digit integer that is
   35  unique within a tract but is not necessarily unique within a
   36  voting tabulation district.
   37         (b) “Tract” describes a relatively permanent statistical
   38  subdivision of a county updated by local participants prior to
   39  the 2010 decennial census. Tracts consist of whole blocks and
   40  are nested within counties. Tracts are identified uniquely
   41  within a county by an up to four-digit integer and may have an
   42  optional two-digit suffix.
   43         (c) “Voting tabulation district” describes a subdivision of
   44  a county established in Phase 2 of the 2010 Census Redistricting
   45  Data Program. Voting tabulation districts consist of whole
   46  blocks and are nested within counties. Voting tabulation
   47  districts subdivide counties in ways supervisors of elections
   48  determined are efficient for conducting elections and keeping
   49  communities whole. Voting tabulation districts are identified
   50  uniquely within a county by an up to four-digit integer.
   51         Section 2. Representative districts.—For the election of
   52  members to the House of Representatives of this state, the state
   53  is apportioned into 120 consecutively numbered, single-member,
   54  representative districts of contiguous territory, to be
   55  designated by such numbers as follows:
   56  
   57         Section 3. Senatorial districts.—For the election of
   58  members to the Senate of this state, the state is apportioned
   59  into 40 consecutively numbered, single-member senatorial
   60  districts of contiguous territory, to be designated by such
   61  numbers as follows:
   62  
   63         Section 4. Territory not specified for inclusion in any
   64  district.—Any portion of the state which is not stated in this
   65  joint resolution as being included in any district described in
   66  this joint resolution but which is entirely surrounded by a
   67  district shall be deemed to be included within the surrounding
   68  district. Any portion of the state which is not included in any
   69  district described in this joint resolution and which is not
   70  entirely surrounded by a district shall be included within that
   71  district contiguous to the portion that contains the least
   72  population per legislator according to the United States
   73  Decennial Census of 2010; however, if every district contiguous
   74  to such portion has an equal population, such portion shall be
   75  included within the lowest-numbered district that is contiguous
   76  to such portion.
   77         Section 5. Territory specified for inclusion in one
   78  district which is noncontiguous.—If any district described in
   79  this joint resolution is composed of noncontiguous territory,
   80  the noncontiguous portion that has the least population shall be
   81  included in the district that is contiguous to such portion and
   82  that has the least population; however, if every district
   83  contiguous to such portion has an equal population, such portion
   84  shall be included within the lowest-numbered district that is
   85  contiguous to such portion.
   86         Section 6. Districts to constitute representative and
   87  senatorial districts of state.—The districts created by this
   88  joint resolution constitute and form the representative and
   89  senatorial districts of the state, and members of the
   90  Legislature shall be elected in and for these representative and
   91  senatorial districts as provided by law.
   92         Section 7. Severability.—If any provision of this joint
   93  resolution or the application thereof to any person or
   94  circumstance is held invalid, or if any representative or
   95  senatorial district established in this joint resolution is held
   96  invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or
   97  applications of this joint resolution, or any other districts
   98  established in this joint resolution, which can be given effect
   99  without the invalid provision or application, and to this end
  100  the provisions of this joint resolution are severable.
  101         Section 8. Applicability.—This joint resolution applies
  102  with respect to the qualification, nomination, and election of
  103  members of the Legislature in the primary and general elections
  104  held in 2012 and thereafter.

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