CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING - S.B. 810: ENROLLED SUMMARY
Senate Bill 810 (as enrolled) - PUBLIC ACT 221 of 1999
Sponsor: Senator Bill Schuette
Senate Committee: Reapportionment
House Committee: Family and Civil Law
Date Completed: 1-3-00
CONTENT
The bill creates the "Congressional Redistricting Act" to require the Legislature to enact a redistricting plan for congressional districts apportioned to Michigan. A plan must be enacted by November 1, 2001, and every 10 years thereafter. Except as otherwise required by Federal law for congressional districts in Michigan, the plan must be enacted using only the guidelines contained in the bill in the order of priority described below.
The constitutional guideline is that each congressional district must achieve precise mathematical equality of population in each district. The Federal statutory guidelines, in no order of priority, are as follows:
-- Each congressional district must be entitled to elect a single member.
-- Each district must not violate Section 2 of Title I of the Federal Voting Rights Act, which provides that no voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure may be imposed or applied by any state or political subdivision in a manner that results in a denial or abridgment of the right of any U.S. citizen to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group (42 USC 1973).
The secondary guidelines, in no order of priority, are as follows:
-- Each district must consist of areas of convenient territory contiguous by land.
-- District lines must break as few county boundaries as is reasonably possible.
-- If county lines have to be broken to achieve equality of population between districts, the number of people necessary to achieve population equality must be shifted between the two affected districts.
-- District lines must break as few city and township boundaries as is reasonably possible.
-- If city or township lines have to be broken to achieve equality of population between districts, the number of people necessary to achieve population equality must be shifted between the two affected districts.
-- Within a city or township to which more than one district is apportioned, district lines must be drawn to achieve the maximum compactness possible.
-- Compactness must be determined as described in the bill.
-- If a discontiguous township island exists within an incorporated city or discontiguous portions of townships are split by an incorporated city, the splitting of the township is not to be considered a split under circumstances specified in the bill.
-- Each district must be numbered in a regular series.
The bill provides that, if any portion of the Act or its application to any person or circumstances is found to be invalid by a court, the invalidity does not affect the remaining portions or applications of the Act that may be given effect without the invalid portion or application. The provisions of the Act are severable.
- Legislative Analyst: S. Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill will have an indeterminate fiscal impact on State government.
- Fiscal Analyst: B. BowermanS9900\s810es
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.