Overview: Washington Redistricting Transparency Proposal (HB 2575)
HB 2575 would increase transparency and public participation in congressional and state legislative mapdrawing.
Key Features of HB 2575
Type of Reform
Transparency and public participation
Maps Affected
Congressional and state legislature
Mapdrawing Preparations
The existing political appointee commission will be required to establish a website in order to, at minimum, post audio and video recordings of commission meetings, provide advance notice of public forums, post meeting agendas and minutes, and solicit public comment.
Prior to any map drafting, the commission must publish a report detailing the commission’s general priorities and intentions for balancing competing requirements.
The commission may employ staff for assistance with communications, information technology, and language access.
The commission must solicit testimony from county and municipal election officials on local demographics and communities of interest within 90 days of being established.
Public Input and Community Participation
The commission must hold two rounds of public hearings:
- Prior to drafting preliminary plans, the commission must hold at least ten public hearings, with at least one meeting in each existing congressional district, to gather information on communities of interest and state demographics.
- 30 days after releasing preliminary plans, the commission must hold at least ten public meetings to gather public input.
The commission must provide at least 20 days of advance notice prior to any public meetings, making reasonable efforts to schedule meetings outside of regular work hours with translation services available.
Members of the public submitting oral or written testimony at a public meeting must disclose whether or not they are lobbyists.
Preliminary and Final Plans
The commission must release a preliminary plan at least 30 days in advance of public hearings on the plan.
The commission must release a final plan at least seven days in advance of holding a vote to approve it.
The commission’s final report must include a summary of all public input, all draft plans and data considered and used by the commission, an analysis of the final plan’s adherence to mapdrawing criteria, and any additional information used by the commission during mapdrawing.
If a commissioner votes against the final plan, the commissioner must publish a dissenting report explaining the decision to vote no.
The commission then submits the final plan to the state legislature, which has 30 days to amend the plan with two-thirds majorities in each house. If the legislature does not make amendments, the commission’s final plan goes into effect.
Timing
Selection Process Deadlines
- December 1, 2020: Legislative leaders appoint commissioners
- January 1, 2021: Commission established
- January 15, 2021: Four commissioners appoint the nonvoting fifth member
Plan Approval Deadlines
- April 1, 2021: Commission pre-mapdrawing report due
- November 15, 2021: Commission submits final plans to the legislature
- April 30, 2022: State supreme court adopts a plan if the commission fails to approve a final plan
- July 1, 2022: Commissioner term expires unless extended by the state supreme court
Updated February 5, 2020. This overview is for informational purposes only.