ARIZONA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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SCR 1034: independent redistricting commission; membership |
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PRIME SPONSOR: Senator Yarbrough, LD 17 BILL STATUS: Government
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Relating to the membership of the
Independent Redistricting Commission.
Provisions
1. Increases IRC membership from five members to nine members, with no more than three being from the same political party. (Sec. 1)
2. Requires four members to reside in the most populous county, two members to reside in the second most populous county and two members to reside in any of the remaining counties. (Sec. 1)
o Currently, no more than two of the four appointed members may reside from the same county (Article IV, Part 2 § 1, AZ Constitution).
3. Removes the requirement that the Appointment Commission or its designee establish a pool of ten candidates from each of the two largest political parties who are willing to serve on the IRC. (Sec. 1)
4. Removes the ability of the Appointment Commission to delegate the nominating of IRC members and other duties to a separate commission that meets specified criteria. (Sec. 1)
5. Removes the requirement that the IRC appointments made by Legislative Members be made from the pool of candidates created by the Appointment Commission. (Sec. 1)
6. Stipulates that following the first four appointments to the IRC, the following four members must be appointed as follows:
a. One appointment made by both the highest-ranking Member of the AZ Senate and the Minority Party leader of the AZ House of Representatives;
b. One appointment of a person who is registered as unaffiliated with a political party made by both the highest-ranking Member of the AZ House of Representatives and the Minority Party leader of the AZ Senate. (Sec. 1)
7. Requires the final IRC member to be appointed by the other eight members from the nomination pool created by the Appointment Commission. (Sec. 1)
8. Stipulates that if the eight members fail to appoint the final member, the ninth member must be determined by lot drawn from the nomination pool. (Sec. 1)
o Currently in this situation, the Appointment Commission would appoint the final member (Article IV, Part 2 § 1, AZ Constitution).
9. Removes the requirement that the Appointment Commission create a pool of three nominees to fill an IRC vacancy and instead permits the Member in the office that made the original appointment to appoint any person from the same political party or status to fill the vacancy. (Sec. 1)
10. Stipulates that if a vacancy occurs, the designation of a new chair or vice chair shall be made by majority vote of the IRC. (Sec. 1)
11. Requires the IRC to comply with Open Meeting Laws, except with 48 hours public notice of all meetings. (Sec. 1)
o Currently, IRC meetings are required to be open to the public with 48 hours' notice. AZ Open Meeting Law requires 24 hours' notice of all meetings (Article IV, Part 2 § 1, AZ Constitution & A.R.S. § 38-431.02)
12. Prohibits the population of the largest state Legislative District from exceeding the population of the smallest District by more than 2% of the population of the smallest District. (Sec. 1)
o Currently, Legislative Districts are required to have an equal population to the extent practicable. No percentage threshold is currently outlined in the AZ Constitution. (Article IV, Part 2 § 1, AZ Constitution).
13. Requires the SOS to submit this proposition to the voters at the next general election. (Sec. 2)
14. Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1)
Current Law
The IRC is required to be established by February 28th of each year ending in one in order to provide for the redistricting of Congressional and Legislative Districts. The IRC is composed of five members, with no more than two members being of the same political party. The Appointment Commission is required to create a pool of 25 nominees: 10 from each of the 2 largest political parties and 5 who are not registered with either party. The first four members are appointed by Members of each party in the Legislature from the pool of nominees. Once the first four members are appointed, the final member must be selected by IRC majority vote from the pool of nominees with no party affiliation. If the four IRC members fail to appoint a final member within 15 days, the Appointment Commission must appoint the final member. The final member must serve as chair and the vice chair must be appointed by the IRC (Article IV, Part 2 § 1, AZ Constitution).
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Fifty-third Legislature SCR 1034
Second Regular Session Version 1: Government
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