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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the composition of districts for the election of |
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members of the Texas House of Representatives. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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ARTICLE I |
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SECTION 1. (a) The members of the Texas House of |
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Representatives are elected from the districts described by Article |
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II of this Act. |
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(b) One member is elected from each district established by |
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this Act. |
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ARTICLE II |
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SECTION 1. The districts for members of the Texas House of |
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Representatives are as described by PLANH2176 on the redistricting |
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computer system operated by the Texas Legislative Council. |
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ARTICLE III |
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SECTION 1. In this Act, "tract," "block group," and "block" |
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mean the geographic areas identified by those terms on the 2020 |
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Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles, prepared by the federal Bureau of the |
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Census for the Twenty-fourth Decennial Census of the United States, |
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enumerated as of April 1, 2020. |
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SECTION 2. It is the intent of the legislature that if any |
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county, tract, block group, block, or other geographic area has |
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erroneously been left out of this Act, a court reviewing this Act |
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should include that area in the appropriate district in accordance |
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with the intent of the legislature, using any available evidence of |
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that intent, including evidence such as that used by the Supreme |
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Court of Texas in Smith v. Patterson, 111 Tex. 535, 242 S.W. 749 |
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(1922). |
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SECTION 3. (a) This Act supersedes all previous enactments |
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or orders adopting districts for the Texas House of |
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Representatives. All previous acts of the legislature adopting |
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districts for the Texas House of Representatives are repealed. |
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(b) Chapter 2 (S.B. 3), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, 1st |
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Called Session, 2013 (Article 195a-13, Vernon's Texas Civil |
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Statutes), is repealed. |
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SECTION 4. The districts described by Article II of this Act |
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apply to the election of the members of the Texas House of |
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Representatives beginning with the primary and general elections in |
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2022 for members of the 88th Legislature. This Act does not affect |
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the membership or districts of the House of Representatives of the |
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87th Texas Legislature. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
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legislative session. |