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A JOINT RESOLUTION
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proposing a constitutional amendment to require the preservation of |
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communities of interest in the apportionment of members of the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 26, Article III, Texas Constitution, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 26. (a) The members of the House of Representatives |
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shall be apportioned among the several counties, according to the |
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number of population in each, as nearly as may be, on a ratio |
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obtained by dividing the population of the State, as ascertained by |
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the most recent United States census, by the number of members of |
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which the House is composed; provided, that whenever a single |
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county has sufficient population to be entitled to a |
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Representative, such county shall be formed into a separate |
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Representative District, and when two or more counties are required |
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to make up the ratio of representation, such counties shall be |
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contiguous to each other; and when any one county has more than |
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sufficient population to be entitled to one or more |
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Representatives, such Representative or Representatives shall be |
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apportioned to such county, and for any surplus of population it may |
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be joined in a Representative District with any other contiguous |
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county or counties. |
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(b) The apportionment of members of the House of |
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Representatives shall to the extent practicable keep intact |
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communities of interest defined by social, economic, racial, |
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ethnic, cultural, industrial, commercial, and geographic |
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commonalities. |
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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 2, 2021. |
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The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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proposition: "The constitutional amendment to require the |
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preservation of communities of interest in the apportionment of |
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members of the Texas House of Representatives." |