1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to redistricting; adopting a congressional districting plan for use in 
1.3 	2012 and thereafter; adopting districting principles for congressional districts; 
1.4 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, sections 2.031, subdivision 1; 2.91, 
1.5 	subdivision 1; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2010, sections 2.031, subdivision 
1.6 	2; 2.444; 2.484.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 2.031, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.9 		Subdivision 1.Legislative districts. (a) The representatives in the senate and house 
1.10 	of representatives are apportioned throughout the state in 67 senate districts and 134 house 
1.11 	of representatives districts. Each senate district is entitled to elect one senator and each 
1.12 	house of representatives district is entitled to elect one representative.
1.13 	(b) Congressional redistricting plan C1102-0, on file with the Geographic 
1.14 	Information Services Office of the Legislative Coordinating Commission and published 
1.15 	on its Web site on December 14, 2011, is adopted and describes the congressional districts 
1.16 	within this state.

1.17 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 2.91, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.18 		Subdivision 1.Distribution. Upon enactment of a redistricting plan for the 
1.19 	legislature or for Congress, the Legislative Coordinating Commission shall deposit the 
1.20 	plan with the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall provide copies of the relevant 
1.21 	portions of the redistricting plan to each county auditor, who shall provide a copy of the 
1.22 	relevant portions of the plan to each municipal clerk within the county. The secretary of 
1.23 	state, with the cooperation of the commissioner of administration, shall make copies of the 
1.24 	plan file, maps, and tables available to the public for the cost of publication. The revisor of 
2.1 	statutes shall code a metes and bounds description of the districts, as established pursuant 
2.2 	to legislative enactment or court order,  in Minnesota Statutes no later than the date of the 
2.3 	state primary in the year ending in two.

2.4 	Sec. 3. DISTRICTING PRINCIPLES FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS.
 2.5 		Subdivision 1.Applicability. The principles in this section apply to congressional 
2.6 	districts.
2.7 		Subd. 2.Numbering.  Congressional district numbers must begin with district one 
2.8 	in the southeast corner of the state and end with district eight in the northeast corner of 
2.9 	the state.
2.10 		Subd. 3.Equal population.  The congressional districts shall be as nearly equal 
2.11 	in population as is practicable.
2.12 		Subd. 4.Minority representation. Congressional districts shall not be drawn with 
2.13 	either the purpose or effect of denying or abridging the voting rights of any United States 
2.14 	citizen on account of race, ethnicity, or membership in a language minority group, and 
2.15 	must otherwise comply with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United 
2.16 	States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, United States Code, 
2.17 	title 42, sections 1973 to 1973aa-6.
2.18 		Subd. 5.Contiguity; compactness. Congressional districts shall consist of 
2.19 	convenient, contiguous territory structured into compact units. Contiguity by water 
2.20 	is sufficient if the body of water does not pose a serious obstacle to travel within the 
2.21 	district. Congressional districts with areas that connect only at a single point shall not 
2.22 	be considered contiguous.
2.23 		Subd. 6.Minor civil divisions. Political subdivisions shall not be divided more 
2.24 	than necessary to meet constitutional requirements.
2.25 		Subd. 7.Preserving communities of interest. Where possible, in compliance with 
2.26 	the preceding principles, communities of interest shall be preserved. For purposes of this 
2.27 	principle, "communities of interest" include, but are not limited to, groups of Minnesota 
2.28 	residents with clearly recognizable similarities of social, geographic, political, cultural, 
2.29 	ethnic, economic, or other interests. Additional communities of interest will be considered 
2.30 	if persuasively established and if consideration thereof would not violate applicable law.
2.31 		Subd. 8.Consideration of plans. Congressional districts shall not be drawn for the 
2.32 	purpose of protecting or defeating an incumbent. The impact of redistricting on incumbent 
2.33 	officeholders is a factor subordinate to all redistricting criteria to determine whether 
2.34 	proposed plans result in either undue incumbent protection or excessive incumbent 
2.35 	conflicts.

3.1 	EFFECTIVE DATE; EXPIRATION.  This section is effective the day following 
3.2 	final enactment and applies to any plan for districts enacted or established for use at the 
3.3 	state primary in 2012 and thereafter. This section expires June 1, 2012.

3.4 	Sec. 4.  REPEALER.
 3.5 	Minnesota Statutes 2010, sections 2.031, subdivision 2; 2.444; and 2.484, are 
3.6 	repealed.

3.7 	Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 3.8 	Except where otherwise provided, this act is effective for the state primary election 
3.9 	in 2012 and thereafter.