HB1269: establishing a citizens' legislative redistricting advisory board.

HB 1269 - AS INTRODUCED

2003 SESSION

03-2127

03/10

HOUSE BILL 1269

AN ACT establishing a citizens' legislative redistricting advisory board.

SPONSORS: Rep. Burling, Sull 19; Rep. Weed, Ches 25

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS

This bill establishes a citizens' legislative redistricting advisory board.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03-2127

03/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Three

AN ACT establishing a citizens' legislative redistricting advisory board.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Chapter; Citizens' Legislative Redistricting Advisory Board. Amend RSA by inserting after chapter 662-A the following new chapter:

CHAPTER 662-B

CITIZENS' LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING ADVISORY BOARD

662-B:1 Definitions. As used in this chapter:

I. "Board" means the citizens' legislative redistricting board established pursuant to this chapter.

II. "Partisan public office" means:

(a) An elective or appointive office in the executive or legislative branch or in an independent establishment of the federal government.

(b) An elective office in the executive or legislative branch of the government of this state, or an office of the government of this state which is filled by appointment of executive or legislative authority.

(c) An office of a county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state which is filled by an election process involving nomination and election of candidates on a partisan basis.

III. "Plan" means a plan for legislative reapportionment drawn up pursuant to the requirements of this chapter.

IV. "Political party office" means an elective office in the national or state organization of a party, as defined by RSA 652:11.

V. "Relative" means an individual who is related to the person in question as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, grandfather, grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half sister.

662-B:2 Citizens' Legislative Redistricting Advisory Board.

I. Not later than March 1 of each year ending in one, a citizens' legislative redistricting advisory board shall be established as provided in this section.

II. The board shall consist of 20 members equally representing New Hampshire's 10 counties. Ten members shall be appointed jointly by the speaker of the house of representatives and the senate leader who is of the same party as the speaker; each such member shall be domiciled in a different New Hampshire county. Ten members shall be appointed jointly by the minority leader of the house of representatives and the senate leader who is of the same party as the minority leader; each such member shall be domiciled in a different New Hampshire county.

III. A vacancy among the members of the board shall be filled by the appointing authority within 15 days after the vacancy occurs.

IV. No person shall be appointed to the board who:

(a) Is not an eligible voter of the state at the time of selection.

(b) Holds partisan public office or political party office.

(c) Is a relative of or is employed by a member of the general court or of the United States Congress, or is employed directly by the general court or by the United States Congress.

(d) Has not resided in the state for at least 5 years.

662-B:3 Duties of Board. The board shall develop a plan for the apportionment of representative and senatorial districts based on the most recent decennial census. The plan shall conform to the requirements of part II, articles 9, 11, 11-a, 26, and 26-a of the New Hampshire constitution. The board shall forward the plan by December 30 of the year in which the board is established to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and to the state library, and shall include proposals for legislation necessary to effectuate the plan.

662-B:4 Redistricting Standards.

I. Districts shall be established on the basis of population. Each representative and senatorial district shall have a population as nearly equal as practicable to the ideal district population. Ideal district population shall be determined by dividing the number of districts to be established into the population of the state reported in the latest federal decennial census.

II. No district shall be drawn for the purpose of favoring a political party, incumbent legislator, or other person or group. No district shall be drawn for the purpose of augmenting or diluting the voting strength of a language or racial minority group. In establishing districts, no use shall be made of any of the following data:

(a) Addresses of incumbent legislators.

(b) Political affiliations of registered voters.

(c) Previous election results.

(d) Demographic information, other than population head counts, except as required by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.