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Redistricting legislation approved by committee, sent to full House

10HARRISBURG, Nov. 10 – A bill that would reform the way legislative districts in Pennsylvania are drawn every 10 years has been approved by the House State Government Committee.

The bill was introduced by state Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., as a way to improve the redistricting process and to make it less partisan.

"The purpose of my legislation is to take the politics out of the redistricting process -- to prevent gerrymandering for the next legislative reapportionment and each one thereafter," Josephs said. "Pennsylvania's legislative districts should be drawn in an open and nonpartisan process."

Redistricting or reapportionment is the method by which Pennsylvania legislative and congressional districts are redrawn every 10 years, based on the state's population figures obtained from the U.S. Census. The next reapportionment is slated for 2011.

Josephs, chairwoman of the House State Government Committee, said her bill (H.B. 1805) would make the state reapportionment process more open and transparent by strengthening the public comment process and requiring more statewide hearings at all stages of development of the redistricting map. It also would require data and information to be made available online.

"I believe that making data available online, having more public hearings and encouraging public comment will help keep the public more informed about the process," she said.

The bill also would give specific guidelines for the existing Legislative Reapportionment Commission to follow when drawing districts, including making districts compact and keeping counties and municipalities intact where at all possible without ignoring the "one person, one vote" rule.

"Redistricting has become too politicized," Josephs said. "Making the process more open and accessible to the public will go a long way to correcting that problem."

The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.

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