Bill Text: TX SJR6 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment establishing the Texas Redistricting Commission to redistrict the United States House of Representatives and the Texas Legislature.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-07-08 - Filed [SJR6 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-SJR6-Introduced.html
  87S10203 JRJ-D
 
  By: Zaffirini S.J.R. No. 6
 
 
 
A JOINT RESOLUTION
  proposing a constitutional amendment establishing the Texas
  Redistricting Commission to redistrict the United States House of
  Representatives and the Texas Legislature.
         BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by
  adding Section 28a to read as follows:
         Sec. 28a.  (a) The Texas Redistricting Commission exercises
  the legislative authority of this state to adopt redistricting
  plans for the election of members of the United States House of
  Representatives elected from this state, the Texas House of
  Representatives, and the Texas Senate. Districts for those
  legislative bodies may not be established or changed except as
  provided by this section.
         (b)  The legislature shall provide by general law for the
  composition and operation of the Texas Redistricting Commission.
         (c)  This section takes effect January 1, 2030. On that
  date, the Legislative Redistricting Board is abolished and Section
  28 of this article is repealed. The Texas Redistricting Commission
  shall convene for the first time on the first business day after
  January 31, 2031. This subsection expires January 1, 2032.
         SECTION 2.  Section 7a, Article V, Texas Constitution, is
  amended by amending Subsections (e) and (i) and adding Subsection
  (j) to read as follows:
         (e)  Unless the legislature enacts a statewide
  reapportionment of the judicial districts following each federal
  decennial census, the board shall convene not later than the first
  Monday of June of the third year following the year in which the
  federal decennial census is taken to make a statewide
  reapportionment of the districts. The board shall complete its
  work on the reapportionment and file its order with the secretary of
  state not later than August 31 of the same year. If the Judicial
  Districts Board fails to make a statewide apportionment by that
  date, the Texas [Legislative] Redistricting Commission [Board]
  established by Article III, Section 28a [28], of this constitution
  shall convene on September 1 of the same year to make a statewide
  reapportionment of the judicial districts not later than the 90th
  [150th] day after the final day for the Judicial Districts Board to
  make the reapportionment.
         (i)  The legislature, the Judicial Districts Board, or the
  Texas [Legislative] Redistricting Commission [Board] may not
  redistrict the judicial districts to provide for any judicial
  district smaller in size than an entire county except as provided by
  this section. Judicial districts smaller in size than the entire
  county may be created subsequent to a general election where a
  majority of the persons voting on the proposition adopt the
  proposition "to allow the division of ____________ County into
  judicial districts composed of parts of ____________ County." No
  redistricting plan may be proposed or adopted by the legislature,
  the Judicial Districts Board, or the Texas [Legislative]
  Redistricting Commission [Board] in anticipation of a future action
  by the voters of any county.
         (j)  Until January 1, 2030, a reference in this section to
  the Texas Redistricting Commission means the Legislative
  Redistricting Board established under Article III, Section 28, of
  this constitution. This subsection expires January 1, 2031.
         SECTION 3.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
  submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 2, 2021.  
  The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
  following proposition:  "The constitutional amendment establishing
  the Texas Redistricting Commission to redistrict the United States
  House of Representatives and the Texas Legislature."
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