Texas lawmakers hear from the public on redistricting effort
Public comments on Texas redistricting plans
Hundreds of people have signed up to comment at the first and only Texas House hearing on the Republican redistricting map. The map?s author defends it as partisan but legal.
AUSTIN, Texas - Hundreds of people have signed up to comment at the first and only Texas House hearing on the Republican redistricting map. The map’s author defends it as partisan but legal.
Texas Redistricting
What's new:
With the special session halfway over, House Bill 4 is on a fast track to the House floor.
Now that a proposed map is out, the Texas House Redistricting Committee chair said Friday’s hearing would be the only public hearing before the committee sends the bill to the full House.
Friday was also the first time Republicans in the House went on the record in a hearing defending their proposed new congressional districts.
Proposed Texas redistricting map would drastically shift Democrat-held seats
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he would like to gain five congressional seats through a midterm redistricting effort in the state.
What they're saying:
"Is it fair to say that the map in HB 4 is based on political performance or partisan performance?" asked Rep. David Spiller from the Jacksboro area.
"I’m telling you, I’m not beating around the bush. I’m telling you that we have five new districts. And these five new districts are based on political performance," replied Rep. Todd Hunter, a Corpus Christi Republican and the bill’s author.
Rep. Hunter said his map was drawn with the understanding that the Supreme Court allows partisan redistricting.
Dig deeper:
The process was triggered by President Donald Trump, who said he wants to add five Republican seats in Texas before the midterm election.
The new map makes some big changes in North Texas. It moves Democrat Rep. Marc Veasey’s district from Tarrant to Dallas County.
Democrat Rep. Julie Johnson’s district moves from Dallas and Collin County to more conservative sections of East Texas.
And Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Dallas seat becomes one of just two majority Black districts in the entire state.
The Dems claim the redrawn maps will violate the federal Voting Rights Act, but that may be difficult for them to prove.
Community voices concerns over redistricting
Hundreds attended a public hearing in Arlington over a plan to redraw the state's congressional districts.
The other side:
Pastor Freddy Haynes was one of about 500 people who traveled to the state capitol and signed up to give public comment. He’s a Democrat who is against the bill.
"Because of these new lines, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, an unrelenting voice for justice, will no longer represent me. That ain’t a coincidence," he said.
Comments are expected to continue well into Friday night.
The Source: FOX 4's Steven Dial gathered details for this story from Friday's Texas House Redistricting Committee hearing on House Bill 4.