Senate Bill S8824

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8824

SPONSOR: MARTINS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing the addition
of a new subdivision to section 5-b of article 3 of the constitution, in
relation to limiting the power of the legislature to amend a redistrict-
ing plan submitted by the independent redistricting commission

 
PURPOSE:

Limits the power of the legislature to amend a redistricting plan
submitted by the independent redistricting commission.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one. That section 5-b of article 3 of the constitution be
amended by adding a new subdivision. This section adds that any amend-
ments made by the senate or assembly to a redistricting plan submitted
by the independent redistricting commission shall not affect more than
two percent of the population to any district on such map. This section
              

also provides if two or more plans for districts in the same legislative
house or for congressional districts are submitted by the commission,
such plans are to be considered individually and not combined. Section
two establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York State has spent an estimated $10-15 million dollars on an Inde-
pendent Redistricting Commission (IRC), established to oversee the draw-
ing of assembly, senate, and congressional district lines in New York
State after every census. The IRC is a bipartisan commission and was
approved by voters in 2014. In its debut, the IRC presented the Legisla-
ture with two competing maps, both of which were not individually
considered or individually voted on and were rejected by the Legisla-
ture. The Legislature, under one-party rule, decided to draw their own.
The Democratic Majority's new map was so inequitable and gerrymandered
that in 2022, it was struck down in court. The IRC reconvened and deliv-
ered another map, only to be rejected once again by the Legislature,
thus leading them to create their own maps once again. Section 3 of the
Redistricting Reform Act of 2012 clearly states that any amendments by
the Legislature to maps made by the IRC, must not affect more than two
percent of the population in any given district. The Legislative Majori-
ty ignored this law when they created their own maps. This bill will
prevent the Legislature, which currently holds a supermajority in both
houses, from creating district maps that greatly differ from the IRC's
proposals. The IRC is the fairest method we have in place to establish
election districts that are as fair as they can be.  Should the IRC
present competing maps to the Legislature again in the future, the maps
must be considered individually, instead of together, which this law
will require.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New constitutional amendment derived from the Redistricting Reform Act
of 2012.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
If enacted, this amendment will be referred to the first regular legis-
lative session convening after the next succeeding general election of
members of the assembly.