05 LC 18
4174
Senate
Resolution 166
By:
Senators Rogers of the 21st, Johnson of the 1st, Stephens of the 27th, Seabaugh
of the 28th and Chance of the 16th
ADOPTED
SENATE
A
RESOLUTION
Expressing
the sense of the Senate with respect to general bills; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that it is the sense of the Senate that any general
bill providing for the apportionment of congressional districts shall be in
accordance with the following:
(1)
All districts shall comply with the United States Constitution and the federal
Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended;
(2)
All districts shall be composed of contiguous territory. Districts that connect
on a single point are not contiguous;
(3)
All districts shall be compact in form. Bizarre shapes shall be
avoided;
(4)
No district shall divide a community of interest unless necessary to comply with
federal standards. A community of interest may be defined by a variety of
factors, including, but not limited to, economic, social, and cultural factors,
government services, and location;
(5)
Districts shall divide as few counties and recognized political boundaries as is
practicable to comply with the other requirements herein; and
(6)
No district shall be established with the intent or effect of diluting the
voting strength of any person, group of persons, or members of any political
party. Data reflecting past partisan voting behavior shall not be solely
considered.
BE
IF FURTHER RESOLVED that it is the sense of the Senate that none of the criteria
specified herein shall be afforded greater weight than any other criteria.
Minor deviations from one or more of such criteria shall be permitted if
necessary to conform a plan to the other criteria specified herein. The
requirements, however, of the United States Constitution and the federal Voting
Rights Act of 1965, as amended, shall be given priority should those
requirements conflict with any other criteria.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is the sense of the Senate that any general bill
providing for the apportionment of representative districts, senatorial
districts, or both, shall be in accordance with the following:
(1)
All districts shall comply with the United States Constitution and the federal
Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended;
(2)
All districts in an apportionment plan for the Senate or House of
Representatives shall have a deviation of not more than plus or minus 2.5
percent from the ideal population size to ensure that each person to be elected
under such plan represents, as nearly as possible, an equal number of
inhabitants of the state;
(3)
All districts shall be composed of contiguous territory. Districts that connect
on a single point are not contiguous;
(4)
All districts shall be compact in form. Bizarre shapes shall be
avoided;
(5)
No district shall divide a community of interest unless necessary to comply with
federal standards. A community of interest may be defined by a variety of
factors, including, but not limited to, economic, social, and cultural factors,
government services, and location;
(6)
Districts shall divide as few counties and recognized political boundaries as is
practicable to comply with the other requirements herein;
(7)
No district shall be established with the intent or effect of diluting the
voting strength of any person, group of persons, or members of any political
party. Data reflecting past partisan voting behavior shall not be solely
considered; and
(8)
Single-member districts shall be used in all cases and multimember districts
shall be prohibited.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is the sense of the Senate that none of the criteria
specified herein shall be afforded greater weight than any other criteria. Minor
deviations from one or more of such criteria shall be permitted if necessary to
conform a plan to the other criteria specified herein. The requirements,
however, of the United States Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act of
1965, as amended, shall be given priority should those requirements conflict
with any other criteria.