#txlege Senate redistricting hearings testimony guide

Last week, the Senate took steps to start the redistricting process once again. Senator Huffman filed legislation (SB375) that would “ratify” the exact same senate map that was passed last fall in a special session. This is, in part, due to their interpretation of the state constitution that says redistricting must occur in a regular, legislative session.

During session Texas Senate adopted Senate Resolution 2 (SR2), which calls for virtual, regional public input hearings to be held to collect public input on the map. The question is why hold multiple public hearings when you plan to adopt the exact same map? These hearings are nothing but a sham. They are an illusion of a fair and open process.

We do not want to lose some of the legislative record that was created during the special session (testimony, committee layouts, floor debates, etc.). Much of this previous work was included in the record for the lawsuits that have been filed challenging the current map.

It is crucial that you provide testimony once again, in case we have to recreate the legislative record. See this deck, courtesy of Common Cause and League of Women Voters, for a testimony guide (downloads PDF).