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Texas Redistricting Field Hearings: June 6-12, 2013

On Tuesday, tom 47 posted a comment quoting State Rep. Yvonne Davis’s (HD-111, Dallas) email emphasizing the importance of our participating in the field hearings that have been scheduled during the Texas Legislature’s special session on redistricting:

It is important to note the federal district court repeatedly expressed that these interim redistricting plans are temporary plans. Not only are the interim redistricting plans temporary in nature, the courts only ordered the plans to provide for timely 2012 primary and general elections in Texas.

The interim maps do not go far enough to reflect the minority population in Texas. Therefore, I encourage you to attend any one of the hearings and urge the select committee to draw and adopt fair, nondiscriminatory plans that accurately reflect the population of Texas. […]

So let’s encourage our elected officials to vote for maps that are fair and representative of our state’s diversity. Empower the Vote Texas explains how (my emphasis):

Better – Attend a public hearing and register against HB/SB 1, HB/SB 3, and HB/SB 4 (the bills that would make the interim maps permanent). All you have to do is fill out a card and your position becomes part of the official record of the hearings. A good option if you can attend but are uncomfortable testifying.

AWESOME – Testify at one of the public hearings! There is nothing more compelling than hearing from voters about how legislation impacts you. Come let the committee members know how the current maps don’t fairly represent your community.

Texas House of Representatives

The House Special Select Redistricting Committee has scheduled public hearings in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston:

Dallas: Thursday, June 6 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M.

DART Headquarters

Board Room – 1st Floor

1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75202

Notice of Public Hearing

San Antonio: Monday, June 10 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M

VIA Metro Center

Terry Eskridge Community Room

1021 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212

Notice of Public Hearing

Houston: Wednesday, June 12 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M.

University of Houston – Main Campus

Michael J. Cemo Hall, Room 100 D

4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77004

Notice of Public Hearing

If you attend a House hearing, sign in AGAINST HB 1, HB 3, and HB 4.

Public testimony will be limited to 5 minutes. If submitting written testimony, please provide 25 copies to the committee clerk with your name on each.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~

Texas Senate

The Senate Select Committee on Redistricting has scheduled public hearings in Austin, Corpus Christi, and Houston:

Austin: Thursday, June 06, 2013 @ 9:00 AM

Capitol Extension, Room E1.036

Two overflow rooms will be available in E1.016 and E1.028

Live broadcast

Notice of Public Hearing

Corpus Christi: Friday, June 07, 2013 @ 5:00 PM

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

University Center, Lone Star Ballroom

6300 Ocean Drive

Corpus Christi, Texas 78412

Notice of Public Hearing

Houston: Saturday, June 08, 2013 @ 11:00 AM

University of Houston

Michael J. Cemo Hall

4800 Calhoun Road

Houston, Texas 77004

Notice of Public Hearing

Austin: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 @ 9:00 AM

E1.036 (Finance Room)

Two overflow rooms will be available in E1.016 and E1.028.

Live broadcast

Notice of Public Hearing

If you attend a Senate hearing, sign in AGAINST SB 1, SB 3, and SB 4.

Note the live broadcasts of the Austin hearings.

Invited and public testimony will be taken. Public testimony may be limited to three minutes. If submitting written testimony, please provide 30 copies to the committee clerk with your name on each.

This is short notice, but our participation in these redistricting field hearings will, at the very least, signal that we’re paying attention as Texas Republicans attempt to rush through adoption of the court-drawn interim maps, which were based on the 2011 Republican-drawn maps that a federal court rejected because they intentionally discriminated.

Texas Matters: Redistricting

Although the San Antonio Court’s redistricting hearing was scheduled for May 29th and the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide Shelby Co. (challenge to the constitutionality of preclearance requirements under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act) by the end of June, Republican Gov. Rick Perry went ahead and called a special session to begin considering on May 27th

Legislation which ratifies and adopts the interim redistricting plans ordered by the federal district court as the permanent plans for districts used to elect members of the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate and United States House of Representatives.

Texas map painting. Credit: The Economist photo texasmappainting_zps28bc9bb1.jpg

Credit: The Economist

Michael Li tweeted updates throughout the San Antonio court’s redistricting hearing, then posted a recap:

[Wednesday’s] redistricting hearing in San Antonio was largely procedural but did have the court wrestling with some key threshold issues.

Indeed, much of the hearing centered the possible legal consequences of the Texas Legislature making the interim maps permanent.

Hispanic and African-American plaintiff groups took strong issue with the State of Texas’ argument that the case would essentially begin anew.