Minnesota Legislature
HF 1546
as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 04/18/2011 09:59am
KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.
1.1A joint resolution
1.2relating to redistricting; establishing districting principles for legislative and
1.3congressional plans.
1.4BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that a plan for redistricting
1.5seats in the Legislature or the United States House of Representatives must adhere to the
1.6following principles:
1.7(1) [NUMBER OF DISTRICTS.] (a) The Senate must be composed of 67 members. The
1.8House of Representatives must be composed of 134 members. Each district is entitled to elect a
1.9single member.
1.10(b) A plan for congressional districts must have eight districts, each entitled to elect a
1.11single member.
1.12(2) [NESTING.] A representative district may not be divided in the formation of a Senate
1.13district.
1.14(3) [CONTIGUITY; COMPACTNESS.] The districts must be composed of convenient
1.15contiguous territory. To the extent consistent with the other principles in this resolution, districts
1.16should be compact. Contiguity by water is sufficient if the water is not a serious obstacle to
1.17travel within the district.
1.18(4) [NUMBERING.] (a) The legislative districts must be numbered in a regular series,
1.19beginning with House district 1A in the northwest corner of the state and proceeding across the
1.20state from west to east, north to south, but bypassing the 11-county metropolitan area until the
1.21southeast corner has been reached; then to the 11-county metropolitan area outside the cities of
1.22Minneapolis and St. Paul; then in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
2.1(b) The congressional district numbers must begin with district one in the southeast corner
2.2of the state and end with district eight in the northeast corner of the state.
2.3(5) [DATA TO BE USED.] The geographic areas and population counts used in maps,
2.4tables, and legal descriptions of the districts must be those used by the Geographic Information
2.5Services Office of the Legislative Coordinating Commission. The population counts will be the
2.6block population counts provided under Public Law Number 94-171, subject to correction of any
2.7errors acknowledged by the United States Census Bureau.
2.8(6) [DATA READY; PLANS POSTED.] The director of the Geographic Information
2.9Services Office shall notify the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
2.10Representatives when the necessary census data has been received from the United States Census
2.11Bureau, loaded into the Legislature's computerized redistricting system, and verified as ready
2.12for use in redistricting. A redistricting plan must not be considered for adoption by the Senate
2.13or House of Representatives until:
2.14(a) the notice has been given;
2.15(b) a block equivalency file showing the district to which each census block has been
2.16assigned, in a form prescribed by the director of the Geographic Information Services Office, has
2.17been filed with the director.
1.2relating to redistricting; establishing districting principles for legislative and
1.3congressional plans.
1.4BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that a plan for redistricting
1.5seats in the Legislature or the United States House of Representatives must adhere to the
1.6following principles:
1.7(1) [NUMBER OF DISTRICTS.] (a) The Senate must be composed of 67 members. The
1.8House of Representatives must be composed of 134 members. Each district is entitled to elect a
1.9single member.
1.10(b) A plan for congressional districts must have eight districts, each entitled to elect a
1.11single member.
1.12(2) [NESTING.] A representative district may not be divided in the formation of a Senate
1.13district.
1.14(3) [CONTIGUITY; COMPACTNESS.] The districts must be composed of convenient
1.15contiguous territory. To the extent consistent with the other principles in this resolution, districts
1.16should be compact. Contiguity by water is sufficient if the water is not a serious obstacle to
1.17travel within the district.
1.18(4) [NUMBERING.] (a) The legislative districts must be numbered in a regular series,
1.19beginning with House district 1A in the northwest corner of the state and proceeding across the
1.20state from west to east, north to south, but bypassing the 11-county metropolitan area until the
1.21southeast corner has been reached; then to the 11-county metropolitan area outside the cities of
1.22Minneapolis and St. Paul; then in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
2.1(b) The congressional district numbers must begin with district one in the southeast corner
2.2of the state and end with district eight in the northeast corner of the state.
2.3(5) [DATA TO BE USED.] The geographic areas and population counts used in maps,
2.4tables, and legal descriptions of the districts must be those used by the Geographic Information
2.5Services Office of the Legislative Coordinating Commission. The population counts will be the
2.6block population counts provided under Public Law Number 94-171, subject to correction of any
2.7errors acknowledged by the United States Census Bureau.
2.8(6) [DATA READY; PLANS POSTED.] The director of the Geographic Information
2.9Services Office shall notify the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
2.10Representatives when the necessary census data has been received from the United States Census
2.11Bureau, loaded into the Legislature's computerized redistricting system, and verified as ready
2.12for use in redistricting. A redistricting plan must not be considered for adoption by the Senate
2.13or House of Representatives until:
2.14(a) the notice has been given;
2.15(b) a block equivalency file showing the district to which each census block has been
2.16assigned, in a form prescribed by the director of the Geographic Information Services Office, has
2.17been filed with the director.