CSHJR 36(FIN): Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to redistricting of the legislature, and repealing obsolete language setting out the apportionment schedule used to elect the members of the first state legislature.
00CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 36(FIN) 01 Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to 02 redistricting of the legislature, and repealing obsolete language setting out the 03 apportionment schedule used to elect the members of the first state legislature. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. Article VI, sec. 1, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 06 Section 1. House [ELECTION] Districts. Members of the house of 07 representatives shall be elected by the qualified voters of the respective house 08 [ELECTION] districts. The boundaries of the house districts shall be set under this 09 article after each decennial census of the United States [UNTIL 10 REAPPORTIONMENT, ELECTION DISTRICTS AND THE NUMBER OF 11 REPRESENTATIVES TO BE ELECTED FROM EACH DISTRICT SHALL BE 12 AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 1 OF ARTICLE XIV]. 13 * Sec. 2. Article VI, sec. 2, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 14 Section 2. Senate Districts. Members of the senate shall be elected by the
01 qualified voters of the respective senate districts. The boundaries of the senate 02 districts shall be set under this article after each decennial census of the United 03 States [SENATE DISTRICTS SHALL BE AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 2 OF 04 ARTICLE XIV, SUBJECT TO CHANGES AUTHORIZED IN THIS ARTICLE]. 05 * Sec. 3. Article VI, sec. 3, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 06 Section 3. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] of House and Senate . 07 The governor shall redistrict [REAPPORTION] the house of representatives and the 08 senate immediately following the official reporting of each decennial census of the 09 United States. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] shall be based upon the 10 [CIVILIAN] population within each house and senate [ELECTION] district as 11 reported by the census. 12 * Sec. 4. Article VI, sec. 4, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 13 Section 4. Method of Redistricting . The governor shall establish forty 14 single-member house districts, and the governor shall establish twenty single- 15 member senate districts, each composed of two house districts [REAPPORTIONMENT 16 SHALL BE BY THE METHOD OF EQUAL PROPORTIONS, EXCEPT THAT EACH 17 ELECTION DISTRICT HAVING THE MAJOR FRACTION OF THE QUOTIENT 18 OBTAINED BY DIVIDING TOTAL CIVILIAN POPULATION BY FORTY SHALL HAVE 19 ONE REPRESENTATIVE]. 20 * Sec. 5. Article VI, sec. 6, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 21 Section 6. District Boundaries [REDISTRICTING]. The governor shall 22 establish [MAY FURTHER REDISTRICT BY CHANGING] the size and area of 23 house [ELECTION] districts, subject to the limitations of this article. Each house 24 [NEW] district [SO CREATED] shall be formed of contiguous and compact territory 25 containing as nearly as practicable a relatively integrated socio-economic area. Each 26 shall contain a population as near as practicable [AT LEAST EQUAL] to the 27 quotient obtained by dividing the [TOTAL CIVILIAN] population of the state by 28 forty. Each senate district shall be composed as near as practicable of two 29 contiguous house districts. Consideration may be given to local government 30 boundaries. Drainage and other geographic features shall be used in describing 31 boundaries wherever possible.
01 * Sec. 6. Article VI, sec. 8, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 02 Section 8. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] Board. The governor 03 shall appoint a [REAPPORTIONMENT] board to act in an advisory capacity to the 04 governor [HIM]. It shall consist of five members, all of whom shall be residents of 05 the state and none of whom may be public employees or officials at the time of and 06 during the tenure of appointment [. AT LEAST ONE MEMBER EACH SHALL 07 BE APPOINTED FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN, SOUTHCENTRAL, CENTRAL, 08 AND NORTHWESTERN SENATE DISTRICTS. APPOINTMENTS SHALL BE 09 MADE WITHOUT REGARD TO POLITICAL AFFILIATION]. Board members shall 10 be compensated. 11 * Sec. 7. Article VI, sec. 10, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 12 Section 10. Redistricting [REAPPORTIONMENT] Plan and Proclamation. 13 Within ninety days following the official reporting of each decennial census, the board 14 shall submit to the governor a plan for [REAPPORTIONMENT AND] redistricting as 15 provided in this article. Within ninety days after receipt of the plan, the governor shall 16 issue a proclamation of [REAPPORTIONMENT AND] redistricting. An 17 accompanying statement shall explain any change from the plan of the board. The 18 final plan shall set out boundaries of house and senate districts and 19 [REAPPORTIONMENT AND REDISTRICTING] shall be effective for the election 20 of members of the legislature until after the official reporting of the next decennial 21 census. 22 * Sec. 8. Article VI, sec. 11, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 23 Section 11. Enforcement. Any qualified voter may apply to the superior 24 court to compel the governor, by mandamus or otherwise, to perform the [HIS 25 REAPPORTIONMENT] duties assigned to the governor under this article or to 26 correct any error in redistricting [OR REAPPORTIONMENT]. Application to compel 27 the governor to perform the [HIS REAPPORTIONMENT] duties assigned to the 28 governor under this article must be filed within thirty days of the expiration of either 29 of the two ninety-day periods specified in this article. Application to compel 30 correction of any error in redistricting [OR REAPPORTIONMENT] must be filed 31 within thirty days following the proclamation. Original jurisdiction in these matters
01 is [HEREBY] vested in the superior court. On appeal from the superior court , the 02 cause shall be reviewed by the supreme court on [UPON] the law and the facts . 03 Notwithstanding Section 15 of Article IV, all dispositions by the superior court 04 and the supreme court under this section shall be expedited and shall have 05 priority over all other matters pending before the respective court. Upon a final 06 judicial decision that a plan is invalid, the matter shall be returned to the board 07 for correction and development of a new plan under this article and subsequent 08 action by the governor under section 10 of this article . 09 * Sec. 9. Article XI, sec. 3, Constitution of the State of Alaska, is amended to read: 10 Section 3. Petition. After certification of the application, a petition containing 11 a summary of the subject matter shall be prepared by the lieutenant governor for 12 circulation by the sponsors. If signed by qualified voters, equal in number to ten per 13 cent of those who voted in the preceding general election and resident in at least two- 14 thirds of the house [ELECTION] districts of the State, it may be filed with the lieutenant 15 governor. 16 * Sec. 10. Article VI, secs. 5 and 7, and Article XIV, Constitution of the State of Alaska, 17 are repealed. 18 * Sec. 11. The amendments proposed by this resolution shall be placed before the voters 19 of the state at the next general election in conformity with art. XIII, sec. 1, Constitution of the 20 State of Alaska, and the election laws of the state.