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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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proposing a constitutional amendment to establish certain |
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principles and procedures for the drawing of congressional |
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districts. |
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by |
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adding Section 28-a to read as follows: |
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Sec. 28-a. (a) The legislature's authority established by |
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Section 1 of this article includes the authority to enact |
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congressional redistricting plans for this state following a |
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federal decennial census. When enacting a congressional plan, the |
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legislature shall comply with the following principles to the |
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extent practicable and authorized by law: |
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(1) districts must keep intact identifiable |
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communities of interest defined by social, economic, racial, |
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ethnic, cultural, industrial, commercial, or geographic |
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commonalities; |
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(2) districts must respect the integrity of the |
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state's basic geographical regions; |
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(3) districts must be geographically compact and |
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composed of convenient contiguous territory; |
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(4) districts must be coterminous with the boundaries |
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of counties and municipalities and not unnecessarily divide |
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counties or municipalities; |
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(5) districts must be composed solely of undivided |
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census tracts; |
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(6) districts may not be drawn based on partisan |
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political considerations or with intent to favor or disfavor any |
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specific person, political party, or other organization; |
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(7) districts must be as nearly equal in population as |
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practicable and feasible in accordance with these principles; and |
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(8) redistricting plans must comply with state and |
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federal constitutional requirements. |
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(b) The Supreme Court of Texas has original jurisdiction of |
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a legal challenge to a congressional redistricting plan enacted by |
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the legislature. |
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(c) The legislature may not redistrict this state's |
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congressional districts more than once following each federal |
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decennial census except to replace a plan ordered by a court with a |
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plan enacted by the legislature. |
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SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 8, 2011. |
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The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the |
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proposition: "The constitutional amendment to establish fair |
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redistricting principles and procedures for the drawing of |
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congressional districts for the State of Texas." |