Bill Text: NY S00971 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides that any plan of apportionment relating to the division of a county, except a county wholly contained within a city, into districts for the purpose of apportionment or reapportionment of members of its local legislative body shall be subject to federal and state constitutional requirements; further provides for standards to be followed for such plan.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-02-23 - RECOMMIT, ENACTING CLAUSE STRICKEN [S00971 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S00971-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           971

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  GAUGHRAN,  MAY, SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the  Committee  on  Local
          Government

        AN ACT to amend the municipal home rule law, in relation to the division
          of  a  county  into  districts for the apportionment of members of its
          local legislative body

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1.  Subdivision 4 of section 34 of the municipal home rule law
     2  is  renumbered subdivision 5 and a new subdivision 4 is added to read as
     3  follows:
     4    4.  Any plan of apportionment adopted pursuant to a county charter  or
     5  charter  law  relating  to  the  division of any county, except a county
     6  wholly contained within a city, into districts for the  purpose  of  the
     7  apportionment  or  reapportionment  of  members of its local legislative
     8  body shall be subject to federal and state  constitutional  requirements
     9  and shall comply with the following standards, which shall have priority
    10  in the order set forth in this subdivision, to the extent applicable:
    11    a.  The  plan  shall provide substantially equal weight for all of the
    12  residents of that county in the  allocation  of  representation  in  the
    13  local legislative body.
    14    b.  In  such  plan, no town except a town having more than one hundred
    15  ten percent of a full ratio for each representative, shall be divided in
    16  the formation or representation areas. Adjacent representation areas  in
    17  the  same  town or city shall not contain a greater excess in population
    18  than five percent of a full ratio for each representative.
    19    c. The plan shall provide substantially fair and  effective  represen-
    20  tation for the people of the county as organized in political parties.
    21    d. Representation areas shall be of convenient and contiguous territo-
    22  ry in as compact form as practicable.
    23    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01955-02-1