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H.B. 201

             1     

POPULATION STANDARDS FOR

             2     
REDISTRICTING

             3     
2000 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Sponsor: Matt Throckmorton

             6      AN ACT RELATING TO REDISTRICTING AND REAPPORTIONMENT; ESTABLISHING
             7      THE POPULATION FIGURES TO BE USED BY THE UTAH LEGISLATURE IN
             8      CONDUCTING REDISTRICTING AND REAPPORTIONMENT; AND DECLARING THE
             9      RATIONALE FOR THAT DECISION.
             10      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             11      ENACTS:
             12          36-1-1.1, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             13      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             14          Section 1. Section 36-1-1.1 is enacted to read:
             15          36-1-1.1. Population data for redistricting -- Legislative declaration.
             16          (1) The Legislature finds and declares that:
             17          (a) Utah Constitution Article IX, Section 1 provides that "At the session next following
             18      an enumeration made by the authority of the United States, the Legislature shall divide the state
             19      into congressional, legislative, and other districts accordingly."
             20          (b) That section requires the Legislature to perform its constitutional duty to redraw the
             21      boundaries of Congressional, state legislative, and other districts using population data derived
             22      from the enumeration resulting from the latest federal census, so that the equal population
             23      requirements of the federal and state constitutions can be satisfied.
             24          (c) Federal officials have proposed using statistical sampling techniques to modify the
             25      traditional headcount of the population.
             26          (d) The United States Supreme Court has held that the Federal Census Act prohibits the
             27      use of statistically adjusted population data to apportion seats in the United States House of


             28      Representatives among the states.
             29          (e) Many have argued that statistically adjusted population data does not satisfy the
             30      requirement of the federal constitution for an "actual enumeration" of the population or the Utah
             31      Constitution's requirement that the Legislature create districts based upon "an enumeration."
             32          (f) Using different population data for redistricting would subject Utah to the risk of
             33      litigation over the appropriate population figures, which are the very foundation of each
             34      redistricting and reapportionment plan.
             35          (2) Therefore, the Utah Legislature directs that, for purposes of redrawing the boundaries
             36      of Utah's Congressional, state senatorial, state representative, and state school board districts after
             37      the 2000 federal census, the Legislature shall use the data representing the actual enumeration of
             38      population supplied by the United States Bureau of the Census and may not use statistically
             39      adjusted population data.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 12-30-99 9:28 AM


A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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