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joint resolution NO. _____________
By Request of the ****
A joint resolution of
the Senate and the House of Representatives of the state of montana providing
recommendations on the legislative redistricting plan to the montana
districting and apportionment commission.
WHEREAS, the Montana Districting and
Apportionment Commission submitted its legislative redistricting plan to the
Legislature on January 6, 2023, as required by Article V, section 14, of the
Montana Constitution; and
WHEREAS, the Montana Constitution requires the Commission
to submit a proposed plan to the Legislature for recommendations to alter the
proposal; and
WHEREAS, the Montana Constitution mandates that
districts must be as equal in population as is practicable and be compact and
contiguous; and
WHEREAS, the Commission established a maximum
average standard deviation of plus or minus 1%, which surpasses the standards
of the 2013 Commission, which maintained a standard deviation of 3%; and
WHEREAS, the Commission formed districts that
successfully comply with all requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act and
that protect the voting rights of minority populations; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the Commission's
tentative map does not meet Montana's state constitutional mandate of compactness
in urban areas in Missoula County, Lewis and Clark County, and Gallatin County;
and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the Commission's
tentative map does follow its own criterion for functional compactness in
several areas around the state; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds the Commission did
not follow its criterion to minimize the splitting of municipalities whenever
possible, such as the city of Whitefish; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds the Commission did
not follow its criterion to consider competitiveness of proposed districts; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds the Commission did
not follow its mandatory criterion for keeping communities of interest whole;
and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds the Commission did
not apply its criterion consistently when drawing legislative districts; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds the Commission did
not follow its criterion to keep communities of interest intact when pairing
House districts into Senate districts, including in Flathead County and
districts in Granite, Powell, Lewis and Clark, and Jefferson Counties.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate
and the House of Representatives OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
That the Legislature exercises its constitutional role of
recommendation to urge the passage of amendments necessary for the Legislative
Redistricting Plan to conform to the Commission's established criteria. To this
end, the Legislature recommends that the Commission consider the following
amendments:
(1) redraw as necessary to keep cities intact;
(2) redraw noncompact districts while also
following the Commission's criterion of looking at district competitiveness;
and
(3) keep established communities of interest
intact by reconfiguring House pairings to Senate seats.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be
kept on file with the Secretary of State and that copies be sent by the
Secretary of State to the presiding officer and each member of the Montana
Districting and Apportionment Commission.
INTRODUCED
BY _________________________________________________