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H.B. 104

             1     

REDISTRICTING PROCEDURES

             2     
2002 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Sponsor: Richard M. Siddoway

             5      This act creates a new redistricting procedure. This act requires that the Office of
             6      Legislative Research and General Counsel prepare redistricting plans and defines the
             7      process for presenting those redistricting plans to the Legislature for consideration and
             8      voting. This act describes standards to be followed by the Office of Legislative Research and
             9      General Counsel, to the extent practicable, in drawing up redistricting plans.
             10      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             11      ENACTS:
             12          36-1-301, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             13          36-1-302, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             14          36-1-303, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             15      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             16          Section 1. Section 36-1-301 is enacted to read:
             17     
Part 3. Redistricting Plans Drawn by Office of

             18     
Legislative Research and General Counsel

             19          36-1-301. Definitions.
             20          As used in this part:
             21          (1) "Federal census" means the decennial census required by federal law to be conducted
             22      by the Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of Commerce in each year ending
             23      in zero.
             24          (2) "Office" means the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.
             25          (3) "Redistricting plans" means plans prepared by the office as required by this part that
             26      redistrict:
             27          (a) Utah State Senate districts;


             28          (b) Utah House of Representatives districts;
             29          (c) Utah's United States Congressional districts; and
             30          (d) State Board of Education districts.
             31          Section 2. Section 36-1-302 is enacted to read:
             32          36-1-302. Redistricting plans -- Joint meeting of Senate and House of Representatives
             33      -- Special session.
             34          (1) In each year ending in zero and at any other time of court-ordered redistricting, the
             35      office shall prepare redistricting plans as required by this part.
             36          (2) Before July 1 in each year ending in one, and in each other calendar year immediately
             37      following court-ordered redistricting, the office shall present recommended redistricting plans to
             38      a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
             39          (3) (a) In the 30 calendar days following the joint meeting, any legislator may provide
             40      suggested redistricting plan modifications to the office.
             41          (b) The office may modify any redistricting plans after receiving suggested modifications.
             42          (4) (a) Within 60 days after the office presented its initial recommended redistricting plans
             43      under Subsection (2), the office shall prepare and deliver to the Senate and the House of
             44      Representatives drafts of legislative bills implementing the office's proposed redistricting plans.
             45          (b) In considering the bills at an annual general session or special session, the Legislature
             46      may not amend the bills unless the amendments are proposed by the office to make technical
             47      corrections.
             48          (5) (a) If the Legislature fails to enact any or all of the legislative bills submitted by the
             49      office, the president of the Senate or the speaker of the House of Representatives shall deliver a
             50      written explanation to the office describing specifically the reasons why each bill that was not
             51      enacted was not approved.
             52          (b) The office shall modify each redistricting plan that was not enacted, taking into account
             53      the reasons cited by the Legislature for its failure to approve the bills.
             54          (c) Within 30 days after receipt of the written explanation, the office shall prepare and
             55      deliver to the Senate and the House of Representatives drafts of legislative bills embodying the
             56      modified redistricting plans prepared by the office.
             57          (d) In considering the bills at an annual general session or special session, the Legislature
             58      may not amend the bills unless the amendments are proposed by the office to make technical


             59      corrections.
             60          (6) (a) If the Legislature fails to enact any or all of the second set of legislative bills
             61      submitted by the office, the president of the Senate or the speaker of the House of Representatives
             62      shall deliver a written explanation to the office describing specifically the reasons why each bill
             63      that was not enacted was not approved.
             64          (b) The office shall modify each redistricting plan that was not enacted, taking into account
             65      the reasons cited by the Legislature for its failure to approve the bills.
             66          (c) Within 30 days after receipt of the written explanation, the office shall prepare and
             67      deliver to the Senate and the House of Representatives drafts of legislative bills embodying the
             68      modified redistricting plans prepared by the office.
             69          (d) In considering the bills at an annual general session or special session, the Legislature
             70      may amend the bills as provided by legislative rule.
             71          (7) In all bills introduced under this section:
             72          (a) the president of the Senate shall sponsor the bills redistricting the Senate districts and
             73      the Congressional districts; and
             74          (b) the speaker of the House of Representatives shall sponsor the bills redistricting the
             75      House of Representatives districts and the State Board of Education districts.
             76          Section 3. Section 36-1-303 is enacted to read:
             77          36-1-303. Redistricting standards.
             78          In drawing redistricting plans under this part, the office shall, to the extent practicable,
             79      apply the following standards, giving precedence to the standards in the order in which they are
             80      listed:
             81          (1) districts will meet equal population requirements established by law;
             82          (2) districts will be single member districts;
             83          (3) in drawing districts, the official population enumeration of the United States Bureau
             84      of the Census will be used; and
             85          (4) districts shall be contiguous and reasonably compact.





Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-2-02 2:52 PM


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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