1     
REDISTRICTING AMENDMENTS

2     
2021 FIRST SPECIAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Paul Ray

5     
Senate Sponsor: Scott D. Sandall

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill modifies the timeline relating to the duties of the Utah Independent
10     Redistricting Commission.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This bill:
13          ▸     defines a term; and
14          ▸     modifies the timeline relating to the duties of the Utah Independent Redistricting
15     Commission.
16     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
17          None
18     Other Special Clauses:
19          This bill provides a special effective date.
20     Utah Code Sections Affected:
21     AMENDS:
22          20A-20-102, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2020, Chapter 288
23          20A-20-301, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 306
24     

25     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
26          Section 1. Section 20A-20-102 is amended to read:
27          20A-20-102. Definitions.

28          As used in this chapter:
29          (1) "Commission" means the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission created in
30     Section 20A-20-201.
31          (2) "Committee" means the Legislature's redistricting committee.
32          (3) "Decennial year" means a year during which the United States Bureau of Census
33     conducts a national decennial census.
34          (4) "Linked PL94-171 data" means legacy file decennial census data for Utah,
35     published by the United States Bureau of Census, that, after publication, is linked to Utah
36     geographic data files in a manner that the data can be used to draw maps for the purpose of
37     redistricting.
38          [(4)] (5) "Regular decennial redistricting" means redistricting required due to a national
39     decennial census.
40          [(5)] (6) "Special redistricting" means redistricting that is not a regular decennial
41     redistricting.
42          Section 2. Section 20A-20-301 is amended to read:
43          20A-20-301. Public hearings -- Private conversations.
44          (1) (a) The commission shall, by majority vote, determine the number, locations, and
45     dates of public hearings to be held by the commission, but shall hold no fewer than seven
46     public hearings throughout the state to discuss maps, as follows:
47          (i) one in the Bear River region, which includes Box Elder, Cache, and Rich counties;
48          (ii) one in the Southwest region, which includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and
49     Washington counties;
50          (iii) one in the Mountain region, which includes Summit, Utah, and Wasatch counties;
51          (iv) one in the Central region, which includes Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and
52     Wayne counties;
53          (v) one in the Southeast region, which includes Carbon, Emery, Grand, and San Juan
54     counties;
55          (vi) one in the Uintah Basin region, which includes Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah
56     counties; and
57          (vii) one in the Wasatch Front region, which includes Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake,
58     Tooele, and Weber counties.

59          (b) The commission shall hold at least two public hearings in a first or second class
60     county but not in the same county.
61          (c) The committee and the commission may coordinate hearing times and locations to:
62          (i) avoid holding hearings at, or close to, the same time in the same area of the state;
63     and
64          (ii) to the extent practical, hold hearings in different cities within the state.
65          (2) Each public hearing must provide those in attendance a reasonable opportunity to
66     submit written and oral comments to the commission and to propose redistricting maps for the
67     commission's consideration.
68          (3) The commission shall hold the public hearings described in Subsection (1) [no later
69     than November 1 of], during the year following a decennial year[.], no later than:
70          (a) October 17, if the commission receives the linked PL94-171 data on or before
71     September 1; or
72          (b) 46 days after the day on which the commission receives the linked PL94-171 data,
73     if the commission receives the linked PL94-171 data after September 1.
74          (4) (a) A member of the commission may not engage in any private communication
75     with any individual other than other members of the commission or commission staff,
76     including consultants retained by the commission, that is material to any redistricting map or
77     element of a map pending before the commission or intended to be proposed for commission
78     consideration, without making the communication, or a detailed and accurate description of the
79     communication including the names of all parties to the communication and the map or
80     element of the map, available to the commission and to the public.
81          (b) A member of the commission shall make the disclosure required by Subsection
82     (4)(a) before the redistricting map or element of a map is considered by the commission.
83          (5) The committee chairs and the chair of the commission shall, no later than two
84     business days after the day on which the Legislature appoints a committee, under Subsection
85     20A-20-201(3)(a)(ii), for a special redistricting, jointly agree on a schedule for the commission
86     that:
87          (a) reasonably ensures that the commission may complete the commission's duties in a
88     timely manner, consistent with the time frame applicable to the committee and the Legislature;
89          (b) establishes deadlines for the following:

90          (i) holding the public hearings described in Subsection (1);
91          (ii) preparing and recommending maps under Subsection 20A-20-302(2);
92          (iii) submitting the maps and written report described in Subsection 20A-20-303(1);
93     and
94          (iv) holding the public meeting described in Subsection 20A-20-303(2); and
95          (c) provides that the commission dissolves upon approval of the Legislature's
96     redistricting maps by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
97     Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto,
98     the date of veto override.
99          Section 3. Effective date.
100          If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this bill takes effect
101     upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
102     Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto,
103     the date of veto override.