Bill Text: IA HF2372 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: A bill for an act concerning county supervisor representation and districting plans and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 625.) Effective 5-16-18.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2018-05-16 - Signed by Governor. H.J. 997. [HF2372 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF2372-Introduced.html

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House File 2372 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  COMMITTEE ON LOCAL
                                     GOVERNMENT

                                 (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 625)

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act concerning county supervisor districting plans.
  2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 68B.32A, subsection 16, Code 2018, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    16.  Establish an expedited procedure for reviewing
  1  4 complaints forwarded by the state commissioner of elections
  1  5 to the board for a determination as to whether a supervisor
  1  6 district plan adopted pursuant to section 331.210A that differs
  1  7 from a supervisor district plan prepared by the legislative
  1  8 services agency was drawn for improper political reasons
  1  9 as described in section 42.4, subsection 5. The expedited
  1 10 procedure shall be substantially similar to the process used
  1 11 for other complaints filed with the board except that the
  1 12 provisions of section 68B.32D shall not apply.
  1 13    Sec. 2.  Section 331.209, subsection 4, Code 2018, is amended
  1 14 to read as follows:
  1 15    4.  Each temporary county redistricting commission shall
  1 16 notify the state commissioner of elections when the boundaries
  1 17 of supervisor districts are changed, shall provide a map
  1 18 delineating the new boundary lines, and shall certify to
  1 19 the state commissioner of elections the populations of the
  1 20 new supervisor districts as determined under the latest
  1 21 federal decennial census. Upon failure of a temporary county
  1 22 redistricting commission to make the required changes by
  1 23 the dates specified by this section and sections 331.203
  1 24 and 331.204 as determined by the state commissioner of
  1 25 elections, the state commissioner of elections shall make or
  1 26 cause to be made the necessary changes as soon as possible,
  1 27 and shall assess to the county the expenses incurred in so
  1 28 doing. The Except for a representation plan drawn pursuant
  1 29 to section 331.210A, subsection 2, paragraph "f", the state
  1 30 commissioner of elections may request the services of personnel
  1 31 and materials available to the legislative services agency
  1 32 to assist the state commissioner in making required changes
  1 33 in supervisor district boundaries which become the state
  1 34 commissioner's responsibility.
  1 35    Sec. 3.  Section 331.210A, subsection 2, paragraph f,
  2  1 subparagraph (1), Code 2018, is amended to read as follows:
  2  2    (1)  (a)  Notwithstanding the provisions of this section
  2  3  to the contrary, for For purposes of this paragraph "f",
  2  4 "qualifying county" means a county with a population of one
  2  5 hundred fifty thousand or more based on the most recent federal
  2  6 decennial census that elects supervisors under plan "three"
  2  7 as defined in section 331.206, or a county with a population
  2  8 of one hundred eighty thousand or more that has adopted a
  2  9 charter for a city=county consolidated form of government or
  2 10 a community commonwealth form of government and which charter
  2 11 provides for representation by districts,.
  2 12    (b)  Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the
  2 13 contrary, for a qualifying county, the legislative services
  2 14 agency, and not the temporary county redistricting commission,
  2 15 shall draw a representation plan as provided by paragraph "a"
  2 16 pursuant to a contract executed with the county.
  2 17    (c)  A county subject to the requirements of this paragraph
  2 18 "f" shall notify the state commissioner of elections that a
  2 19 representation plan to be drawn pursuant to this paragraph
  2 20 "f" is required and shall submit to the state commissioner
  2 21 of elections the precinct plan to be used to draw the
  2 22 representation plan.  Upon notification and submission of a
  2 23 precinct plan, the state commissioner of elections shall review
  2 24 and approve the precinct plan to be used.  Following approval
  2 25 of the precinct plan to be used, the state commissioner
  2 26 of elections shall notify the legislative council which
  2 27 shall direct the legislative services agency to prepare a
  2 28 representation plan for the county.
  2 29    (d)  The plan drawn by the legislative services agency
  2 30 shall be based upon the precinct plan adopted and approved
  2 31  for use by the county and shall be drawn in accordance with
  2 32 section 42.4, to the extent applicable. After the legislative
  2 33 services agency has drawn the plan, the legislative services
  2 34 agency shall at the earliest feasible time make available to
  2 35 the public all of the information required to be made public
  3  1 by paragraph "b".
  3  2                           EXPLANATION
  3  3 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  3  4 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  3  5    This bill concerns county supervisor districting plans for
  3  6 certain counties.
  3  7    Code section 331.210A(2)(f) is amended to provide that the
  3  8 procedure for adopting a representation plan for a county that
  3  9 has a population that exceeds 180,000 or that has adopted a
  3 10 charter for a city=county consolidation form or community
  3 11 commonwealth form that provides for representation by districts
  3 12 shall also apply to a county with a population of 150,000 or
  3 13 more that has adopted a plan "three" form of representation.
  3 14 The procedure provides that the county's initial plan for
  3 15 districts, and the county's first plan for districts after each
  3 16 federal decennial census, shall be drawn by the legislative
  3 17 services agency based upon an approved precinct plan for
  3 18 the county and the standards applicable to congressional
  3 19 and legislative redistricting.  If the plan drawn by the
  3 20 legislative services agency is rejected by the governing body,
  3 21 the governing body shall direct the legislative services agency
  3 22 to prepare another plan as provided by current law.
  3 23    Code section 68B.32A, concerning complaints for improper
  3 24 political reasons relative to an adopted supervisor district
  3 25 plan, is amended to make the complaint process inapplicable
  3 26 to plans prepared by the legislative services agency.  In
  3 27 addition, Code section 331.209 is amended to provide that
  3 28 the state commissioner of elections shall not be permitted
  3 29 to request assistance from the legislative services agency
  3 30 relating to a representation plan drawn pursuant to Code
  3 31 section 331.210A(2)(f).
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