Redistricting measure fails in House committee
A bill that would have required a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House before a redistricting plan could be put into place failed 7-4 in the House Government Operations Committee on Wednesday. Currently, a simple majority approves the plans, which are done every 10 years following the census.
HB91 was the annual attempt by Rep. Roz McGee, D-Salt Lake, to reduce the influence of the majority party on redistricting, which can lead to district lines being drawn to favor majority party incumbents and eliminate minority party incumbents. This year, however, the bill only sought to require the two-thirds majority, while in previous years McGee has tried to create a nonpartisan commission.
Opponents of the bill said the redistricting commission simply reflected the current make-up of the body and that the plan did not rise to a level of importance that justified a two-thirds majority vote.
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