HF 1012

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to elections; creating a redistricting 
  1.3             commission to recommend the boundaries of legislative 
  1.4             and congressional districts; proposing an amendment to 
  1.5             the Minnesota Constitution, article IV, sections 2 and 
  1.6             3. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.] 
  1.9      An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, article IV, 
  1.10  sections 2 and 3, is proposed to the people.  If the amendment 
  1.11  is adopted, article IV, section 2, will read: 
  1.12     Sec. 2.  The number of members who compose the senate and 
  1.13  house of representatives shall be prescribed by law.  The 
  1.14  representation in both houses shall be apportioned equally 
  1.15  throughout the different sections of the state in proportion to 
  1.16  the population thereof. 
  1.17     and article IV, section 3, will read: 
  1.18     Sec. 3.  At its first session After each enumeration of the 
  1.19  inhabitants of this state made by the authority of the United 
  1.20  States, the legislature redistricting commission shall have the 
  1.21  power to prescribe recommend the bounds of congressional and 
  1.22  legislative districts.  The redistricting commission consists of 
  1.23  the governor, three members of the senate appointed according to 
  1.24  the rules of the senate and confirmed by a majority of the whole 
  1.25  senate, at least one of whom shall be a member of the minority, 
  1.26  and three members of the house of representatives appointed 
  2.1   according to the rules of the house and confirmed by a majority 
  2.2   of the whole house, at least one of whom shall be a member of 
  2.3   the minority.  When districts are drawn, the representation in 
  2.4   both houses shall be apportioned equally throughout the 
  2.5   different sections of the state in proportion to the population 
  2.6   thereof.  Senators shall be chosen by single districts of 
  2.7   convenient contiguous territory.  Contiguity by water is 
  2.8   sufficient if the water is not a serious obstacle to travel 
  2.9   within the district.  To the extent consistent with the other 
  2.10  standards in this section, districts shall be compact.  A 
  2.11  county, city, or town shall not be divided into more than one 
  2.12  district except as necessary to provide districts of 
  2.13  substantially equal population or to form districts composed of 
  2.14  convenient contiguous territory.  No representative district 
  2.15  shall be divided in the formation of a senate district.  The 
  2.16  senate districts shall be numbered in a regular series.  The 
  2.17  commission shall submit its recommendations to the legislature, 
  2.18  which may enact them into law as recommended by the commission 
  2.19  or as amended by the legislature. 
  2.20     Sec. 2.  [SUBMISSION TO PEOPLE.] 
  2.21     The amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2000 
  2.22  general election.  The question submitted must be: 
  2.23     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to create a 
  2.24  redistricting commission to recommend to the legislature the 
  2.25  boundaries of legislative and congressional districts? 
  2.26                                     Yes .......
  2.27                                     No ........"