87S30514 JRJ-F
 
  By: Davis H.B. No. 151
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to establishing principles to govern redistricting plans
  enacted by the legislature.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subtitle B, Title 3, Government Code, is amended
  by adding Chapter 319A to read as follows:
  CHAPTER 319A. REDISTRICTING LEGISLATION
         Sec. 319A.001.  PRINCIPLES GOVERNING LEGISLATIVE
  REDISTRICTING. (a)  In enacting legislation adopting or modifying
  a redistricting plan for the election of the Texas Senate, the Texas
  House of Representatives, or the members of the United States House
  of Representatives elected from this state, the legislature shall
  ensure that the plan, including any modifications to the plan,
  conforms to the following principles:
               (1)  a plan shall respect the integrity of the state's
  basic geographic regions to the extent practicable;
               (2)  a plan shall avoid unnecessarily dividing counties
  and municipalities in the formation of districts, and district
  boundaries shall to the extent practicable be coterminous with the
  boundaries of counties and municipalities, but if division of a
  county or municipality is unavoidable, district lines must follow
  boundaries such as rivers, mountains, state highways, or
  residential subdivisions to the extent practicable;
               (3)  a plan shall to the extent practicable keep intact
  communities of interest defined by social, economic, racial,
  ethnic, cultural, industrial, commercial, and geographic
  commonalities;
               (4)  a district shall be geographically compact and
  composed of convenient contiguous territory;
               (5)  a plan may not be drawn with consideration to
  partisan political effect or with intent to favor or disfavor any
  specific person, political party, or other organization;
               (6)  a plan must comply with applicable state and
  federal constitutional and statutory requirements, including the
  federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. Section 10101 et seq.);
               (7)  the districts in a plan must be equal in population
  as nearly as practicable in accordance with the other principles
  described by this subsection; and
               (8)  in addition to the requirements of federal law,
  districts must be drawn in a manner that does not discriminate on
  the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group
  by ensuring the voting strength of racial, ethnic, and language
  minorities in the districts is not intentionally or inadvertently
  diluted in a manner that deprives minority voters of an equal
  opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.
         (b)  The principle described by Subsection (a)(2) applies to
  a plan for the election of the Texas House of Representatives in
  addition to the requirements of Section 26, Article III, Texas
  Constitution. District lines shall to the extent practicable be
  coterminous with the boundaries of counties and municipalities.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the
  last day of the legislative session.