,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #aca  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #c1 #bjai   
,mr4 ,cooper introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill 
,to require ,states to carry out        
,congressional redistricting in         
accordance with a process under which   
members of the public are informed of   
redistricting proposals and have the    
opportunity to participate in the       
development of such proposals prior to  
their adoption1 and for other purposes4 
#a4 ,short ,title2 ,finding of          
,constitutional ,authority  7a7 ,short  
,title ,this ,act may be cited as the   
,redistricting ,transparency ,act of    
#bjai4  7b7 ,finding ,congress finds    
that it has the authority to require    
,states to follow certain procedures in 
carrying out ,congressional             
redistricting after an apportionment of 
,members of the ,house of               
,representatives because--  7#a7 the    

authority granted to ,congress under    
article ,i1 section #d of the           
,constitution of the ,united ,states    
gives ,congress the power to enact laws 
governing the time1 place1 and manner of
 elections for ,members of the ,house of
 ,representatives2 and  7#b7 the        
authority granted to ,congress under    
section #e of the fourteenth amendment  
to the ,constitution gives ,congress the
 power to enact laws to enforce section 
#b of such amendment1 which requires    
,representatives to be apportioned among
 the several ,states according to their 
number4  #b4 ,requiring ,redistricting  
to be ,conducted ,under ,procedures     
,providing ,opportunity for ,public     
,participation  7a7 ,requirement  7#a7  
,in general ,notwithstanding any other  
provision of law1 any ,congressional    
redistricting conducted by a ,state     
shall be conducted in accordance with a 
process under which the entity          
responsible for developing              
,congressional redistricting plans in   

the ,state 7hereafter in this ,act      
referred to as the ,state redistricting 
entity7-- 7,a7 in accordance with       
section #c1 establishes and operates an 
,internet site2  7,b7 in accordance with
 section #d1 provides opportunities for 
participation by members of the public  
in the initial development of such      
plans2  7,c7 in accordance with section 
#e1 provides opportunities for members  
of the public to respond to the proposed
 final ,congressional redistricting     
plan2 and  7,d7 in accordance with      
section #f1 notifies members of the     
public regarding the final              
,congressional redistricting plan       
adopted for the ,state4  7#b7 ,other    
procedures permitted ,nothing in this   
,act or the amendments made by this ,act
 may be construed to prohibit a ,state  
from conducting ,congressional          
redistricting in accordance with such   
procedures as the ,state considers      
appropriate1 to the extent that such    
procedures are consistent with the      

applicable requirements of this ,act and
 the amendments made by this ,act4  7#c7
 ,no effect on redistricting for ,state 
or local elections ,nothing in this ,act
 or the amendments made by this ,act may
 be construed to affect any procedures a
 ,state or a unit of local government in
 a ,state may use to conduct            
redistricting with respect to elections 
for ,state or local offices4  7b7       
,conforming ,amendment ,section #bb7;c7 
of the ,act entitled 8,an ,act to       
provide for the fifteenth and subsequent
 decennial censuses and to provide for  
an apportionment of ,representatives in 
,congress01 approved ,june #ah1 #aibi   
7#b ,u4,s4,c4 #b;a7c771 is amended by   
striking 8in the manner provided by the 
law thereof0 and inserting3 8in a manner
 consistent with the requirements of the
 ,redistricting ,transparency ,act of   
#bjai04  #c4 ,public ,internet ,site for
 ,state ,redistricting ,entity  7a7     
,establishment and ,operation of ,site  
,each ,state redistricting entity shall 

establish and maintain a public internet
 site which meets the following         
requirements3 7#a7 ,the site is updated 
continuously to provide advance notice  
of meetings held by the entity and to   
otherwise provide timely information on 
the entity's activities4  7#b7 ,the site
 contains the most recent available     
information from the ,bureau of the     
,census on voting-age population1 voter 
registration1 and voting results in the 
,state1 including precinct-level and    
census tract-level data with respect to 
such information1 as well as detailed   
maps reflecting such information4  7#c7 
,the site permits any individual to     
submit comments on any plan proposed by 
the entity1 and to submit questions1    
comments1 and other information with    
respect to the entity's activities4     
7#d7 ,the site includes any other       
information the entity is required to   
post under this ,act4  7b7 ,deadline for
 ,posting of ,comments ,submitted by    
,public ,the ,state redistricting entity

 shall ensure that any comment submitted
 by a member of the public to the site  
established under this section1         
including a comment on any plan proposed
 by the entity or any other person1 and 
any other comment relating to           
,congressional redistricting in the     
,state1 is posted on the site not later 
than #gb hours after submission4  7c7   
,updating of ,information ,the ,state   
redistricting entity shall take all     
actions necessary to ensure that the    
site established under this section is  
updated continuously to provide timely  
advance notice of the entity's meetings 
and to otherwise provide timely         
information on the entity's activities4 
7d7 ,deadline ,the ,state redistricting 
entity shall establish the site under   
this section as soon as practicable     
after the completion of the regular     
decennial census1 but in no case later  
than the final deadline provided under  
section #bb7;b7 of the ,act entitled    
8,an ,act to provide for the fifteenth  

and subsequent decennial censuses and to
 provide for an apportionment of        
,representatives in ,congress01 approved
 ,june #ah1 #aibi 7#b ,u4,s4,c4 #b;a71  
for the ,clerk of the ,house of         
,representatives to transmit to the     
,state the notice of the number of      
,representatives to which the ,state is 
entitled in the following ,congress4    
#d4 ,opportunities for ,participation in
 ,initial ,development of ,congressional
 ,redistricting ,plans ,during the      
#fj-;day period which begins on the date
 the ,state receives the notice referred
 to in section #c7;d71 the ,state       
redistricting entity shall solicit the  
input of members of the public in its   
work to develop initial ,congressional  
redistricting plans for the ,state by   
carrying out the following activities3  
7#a7 ,publishing and posting on the     
internet site established under section 
#c the criteria which the entity will   
use to develop the ,congressional       
redistricting plan for the ,state4  7#b7

 ,holding at least one hearing in the   
,state at which members of the public   
may provide comments on such criteria   
and any other issues relating to        
,congressional redistricting in the     
,state4  7#c7 ,publishing and posting   
the transcript of each such hearing1 or 
posting a link to a video recording of  
each such hearing1 on the internet site 
not later than #g days after the        
conclusion of the hearing4  #e4         
,opportunities to ,respond to ,proposed 
,final ,congressional ,redistricting    
,plan ,adopted by ,redistricting ,entity
  7a7 ,notice of ,final ,plan ,not later
 than #aj days prior to adopting a final
 ,congressional redistricting plan for  
the ,state1 the ,state redistricting    
entity shall post on the internet site  
established under section #c 7and1 if   
practicable1 cause to have published in 
newspapers of general circulation       
throughout the ,state7 the following    
information3 7#a7 ,a detailed version of
 the proposed final plan1 including--   

7,a7 a map showing each ,congressional  
district established under the plan2    
7,b7 a statement of the voting age      
population by race and membership in a  
language minority group of each such    
district2 and  7,c7 a statement of the  
number of registered voters in each such
 district1 broken down by political     
party affiliation to the extent that    
such information is available under     
,state law4  7#b7 ,a statement          
explaining the entity's reasons for     
adopting the proposed final plan and the
 reasons why the adoption of the plan   
will best serve the public interest4    
7#c7 ,any dissenting statement of any   
member of the entity who did not approve
 the proposed final plan4  7#d7 ,a      
statement that members of the public may
 submit comments regarding the proposed 
final plan through the internet site1   
together with information on how members
 of the public may submit such comments 
to the entity through other methods4    
7b7 ,public ,hearing ,prior to ,adoption

 of ,final ,plan ,not later than #g days
 prior to adopting the final            
,congressional redistricting plan for   
the ,state1 the ,state redistricting    
entity shall hold at least one hearing  
in the ,state at which members of the   
public may provide comments on the plan 
and members of the entity may explain   
the reasons why the adoption of the plan
 will best serve the public interest4   
,the entity shall publish and post the  
transcript of each such hearing1 or post
 a link to a video recording of each    
such hearing1 on the internet site      
established under section #c4  7c7      
,treatment of ,amended and ,new ,plans  
,if1 in response to public comment or   
for any other reason1 the ,state        
redistricting entity posts an amended   
version of the proposed final           
,congressional redistricting plan which 
is posted on the internet site under    
subsection 7a7 or posts a new proposed  
final ,congressional redistricting plan1
 subsections 7a7 and 7b7 shall apply    

with respect to the amended version of  
the plan or the new plan in the same    
manner as such subsections apply with   
respect to the proposed final plan which
 is first posted under subsection 7a71  
except to the extent that the           
application of such subsections would   
require the entity to violate a deadline
 established by ,state law for the      
submission of a final ,congressional    
redistricting plan to the ,state        
legislature4  #f4 ,notice of ,final     
,adopted ,congressional ,redistricting  
,plan ,not later than #g days after the 
,state redistricting entity adopts the  
final ,congressional redistricting plan 
for the ,state1 the entity shall post on
 the internet site established under    
section #c 7and1 if practicable1 cause  
to have published in newspapers of      
general circulation throughout the      
,state7 the following information3 7#a7 
,a detailed version of the plan1        
including--  7,a7 a map showing each    
,congressional district established     

under the plan2  7,b7 a statement for   
each such district of the total         
population and voting age population by 
race and membership in a language       
minority group2 and  7,c7 a statement of
 the number of registered voters in each
 such district1 broken down by political
 party affiliation to the extent that   
such information is available under     
,state law4  7#b7 ,to the extent that   
the ,state maintains data on the number 
of registered voters by race and        
membership in a language minority group1
 a statement for each such district of  
the number of registered voters by race 
and membership in a language minority   
group4  7#c7 ,a statement explaining the
 entity's reasons for adopting the plan 
and the reasons why the adoption of the 
plan will best serve the public         
interest4  7#d7 ,any dissenting         
statements of any members of the entity 
who did not approve the plan4  #g4      
,effective ,date ,this ,act and the     
amendments made by this ,act shall apply

 with respect to any ,congressional     
redistricting which occurs after the    
regular decennial census conducted      
during #bjbj4