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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the composition of the 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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SECTION 1. The districts from which the members of the Texas |
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House of Representatives are elected are the districts as provided |
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by law and used for the election of the members of the House of |
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Representatives of the 82nd Legislature except as those districts |
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are changed by Section 2 of this Act. |
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SECTION 2. (a) The portion of House District 21 located in |
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Jefferson County tract 1301, block 3014, is transferred to House |
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District 22. |
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(b) The portion of House District 65 located in Denton |
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County tract 21527, block 1024, is transferred to House District |
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64. |
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(c) The portion of House District 75 located in El Paso |
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County tract 10329, block 1003, is transferred to House District |
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79. |
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(d) The portion of House District 87 located in Sherman |
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County is transferred to House District 88. |
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SECTION 3. In this Act, "tract," "block group," and "block" |
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mean the geographic areas identified by those terms on the 2010 |
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Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles, prepared by the federal Bureau of the |
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Census for the Twenty-third Decennial Census of the United States, |
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enumerated as of April 1, 2010. |
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SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Texas Legislature |
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that, if any county, tract, block group, block, or other geographic |
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area has erroneously been left out of this Act, a court reviewing |
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this Act should include that area in the appropriate district in |
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accordance with the intent of the legislature, using any available |
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evidence of that intent, including evidence such as that used by the |
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Supreme Court of Texas in Smith v. Patterson, 111 Tex. 535, 242 S.W. |
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749 (1922). |
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SECTION 5. (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) The following statutes are repealed: |
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(1) Chapter 899 (H.B. 150), Acts of the 72nd |
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Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 195a-10, Vernon's |
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Texas Civil Statutes); |
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(2) Chapter 2 (H.B. 1), Acts of the 72nd Legislature, |
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3rd Called Session, 1992 (Article 195a-11, Vernon's Texas Civil |
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Statutes); and |
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(3) Article 196, Revised Statutes. |
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SECTION 6. The districts set out in Section 2 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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2012 for members of the 83rd 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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82nd Texas Legislature. |
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SECTION 7. 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. |