The bill would set forth provisions regarding the Texas Redistricting Commission, including the selection of commission members, organization of the commission, the commission's powers and duties, and administrative resources for the commission. The State Auditor (SAO) would initiate the application process for selecting commission members by January 1 of each census year, and the Secretary of State (SOS) would be responsible for providing administrative support to the commission in each census year until the commission's staff and office are fully functional. The commission would be permitted to hire employees, legal counsel, and consultants, as needed.
The bill would take effect January 1, 2030, if the constitutional amendment establishing the commission is approved by voters.
Currently, Texas Legislative Council (TLC) dedicates 17 FTEs to redistricting with an annual cost of approximately $2,000,000 for salaries, benefits, and operating costs. If TLC would be precluded by Section 581.153(e) of the bill from participating in the redistricting process and this function is transferred from TLC to the commission, the cost may be offset by a savings at TLC. If the cost is not offset by savings at TLC, there may be new indeterminate initial start-up and annual costs.
It is assumed that the additional responsibilities for the SAO and SOS resulting from the passage of the bill could be reasonably absorbed within existing resources.
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.