,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cegb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #bg1 #bjai,ms4 
,lofgren 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,brownley of
 ,california1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4     
,peters1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,california1 
,mrs4 ,napolitano1 ,mr4 ,vargas1 ,mr4   
,de,saulnier1 ,mrs4 ,torres of          
,california1 ,mr4 ,crdenas1 ,ms4        
,roybal-,allard1 ,mr4 ,correa1 ,mr4     
,garamendi1 ,ms4 ,matsui1 ,mr4 ,takano1 
,mr4 ,cox of ,california1 ,ms4 ,porter1 
,mr4 ,carbajal1 ,mr4 ,gomez1 ,mr4       
,schiff1 ,mr4 ,rouda1 ,mr4 ,swalwell of 
,california1 ,mr4 ,ted ,lieu of         
,california1 ,ms4 ,eshoo1 ,mrs4 ,davis  
of ,california1 ,mr4 ,bera1 ,mr4        
,khanna1 ,mr4 ,costa1 ,mr4 ,aguilar1    
,mr4 ,cisneros1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,mr4     
,sherman1 ,ms4 ,judy ,chu of            
,california1 ,mr4 ,ruiz1 ,ms4 ,speier1  
,mr4 ,harder of ,california1 ,mr4       
,mc,nerney1 and ,mr4 ,levin of          
,california7 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 plans developed and     
enacted into law by independent         
redistricting commissions1 and for other
 purposes4  #a4 ,short title2 finding of
 constitutional authority2 table of     
contents  7a7 ,short title ,this ,act   
may be cited as the ,redistricting      
,reform ,act of #bjai4  7b7 ,finding of 
,constitutional authority ,congress     
finds that it has the authority to      
establish the terms and conditions      
,states must follow 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  7c7 ,table of contents ,the    
table of contents of this ,act is as    
follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 finding
 of constitutional authority2 table of  
contents4 ,title ,i--,requirements for  
,congressional ,redistricting ,sec4     
#aja4 ,requiring congressional          
redistricting to be conducted through   
plan of independent ,state commission4  
,sec4 #ajb4 ,ban on mid-decade          
redistricting4 ,title ,,ii--,independent
 ,redistricting ,commissions ,sec4 #bja4
 ,independent redistricting commission4 
,sec4 #bjb4 ,establishment of selection 
pool of individuals eligible to serve as
 members of commission4 ,sec4 #bjc4     
,criteria for redistricting plan by     
independent commission2 public notice   

and input4 ,sec4 #bjd4 ,establishment of
 related entities4 ,sec4 #bje4 ,report  
on diversity of memberships of          
independent redistricting commissions4  
,title ,,iii--,role of ,courts in       
,development of ,redistricting ,plans   
,sec4 #cja4 ,enactment of plan developed
 by #c-;judge court4 ,sec4 #cjb4        
,special rule for redistricting         
conducted under order of ,federal court4
 ,title ,,iv--,administrative and       
,miscellaneous ,provisions ,sec4 #dja4  
,payments to ,states for carrying out   
redistricting4 ,sec4 #djb4 ,civil       
enforcement4 ,sec4 #djc4 ,state         
apportionment notice defined4 ,sec4     
#djd4 ,no effect on elections for ,state
 and local office4 ,sec4 #dje4          
,effective date4  ,i ,requirements for  
,congressional ,redistricting  #aja4    
,requiring congressional redistricting  
to be conducted through plan of         
independent ,state commission  7a7 ,use 
of ,plan ,required ,notwithstanding any 
other provision of law1 and except as   

provided in subsection 7c7 and          
subsection 7d71 any congressional       
redistricting conducted by a ,state     
shall be conducted in accordance with-- 
7#a7 the redistricting plan developed   
and enacted into law by the independent 
redistricting commission established in 
the ,state1 in accordance with title    
,,ii2 or  7#b7 if a plan developed by   
such commission is not enacted into law1
 the redistricting plan developed and   
enacted into law by a #c-;judge court1  
in accordance with section #cja4  7b7   
,conforming amendment ,section #bb7;c7  
of the ,act entitled ,an ,act to provide
 for the fifteenth and subsequent       
decennial censuses and to provide for an
 apportionment of ,representatives in   
,congress1 approved ,june #ah1 #aibi 7#b
 ,u4,s4,c4 #b;a7c771 is amended by      
striking in the manner provided by the  
law thereof and inserting3 in the manner
 provided by the ,redistricting ,reform 
,act of #bjai4  7c7 ,special rule for   
existing commissions ,subsection 7a7    

does not apply to any ,state in which1  
under law in effect continuously on and 
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act1 congressional redistricting is    
carried out in accordance with a plan   
developed and approved by an independent
 redistricting commission which is in   
compliance with each of the following   
requirements3  7#a7 ,publicly available 
application process ,membership on the  
commission is open to citizens of the   
,state through a publicly available     
application process4  7#b7              
,disqualifications for government       
service and political appointment       
,individuals who1 for a covered period  
of time as established by the ,state1   
hold or have held public office1        
individuals who are or have been        
candidates for elected public office1   
and individuals who serve or have served
 as an officer1 employee1 or paid       
consultant of a campaign committee of a 
candidate for public office are         
disqualified from serving on the        

commission4  7#c7 ,screening for        
conflicts ,individuals who apply to     
serve on the commission are screened    
through a process that excludes persons 
with conflicts of interest from the pool
 of potential commissioners4  7#d7      
,multi-partisan composition ,membership 
on the commission represents those who  
are affiliated with the two political   
parties whose candidates received the   
most votes in the most recent ,statewide
 election for ,federal office held in   
the ,state1 as well as those who are    
unaffiliated with any party or who are  
affiliated with political parties other 
than the two political parties whose    
candidates received the most votes in   
the most recent ,statewide election for 
,federal office held in the ,state4     
7#e7 ,criteria for redistricting        
,members of the commission are required 
to meet certain criteria in the map     
drawing process1 including minimizing   
the division of communities of interest 
and a ban on drawing maps to favor a    

political party4  7#f7 ,public input    
,public hearings are held and comments  
from the public are accepted before a   
final map is approved4  7#g7            
,broad-based support for approval of    
final plan ,the approval of the final   
redistricting plan requires a majority  
vote of the members of the commission1  
including the support of at least one   
member of each of the following3  7,a7  
,members who are affiliated with the    
political party whose candidate received
 the most votes in the most recent      
,statewide election for ,federal office 
held in the ,state4  7,b7 ,members who  
are affiliated with the political party 
whose candidate received the second most
 votes in the most recent ,statewide    
election for ,federal office held in the
 ,state4  7,c7 ,members who not         
affiliated with any political party or  
who are affiliated with political       
parties other than the political parties
 described in subparagraphs 7,a7 and    
7,b74  7d7 ,treatment of ,state of ,iowa

 ,subsection 7a7 does not apply to the  
,state of ,iowa1 so long as             
congressional redistricting in such     
,state is carried out in accordance with
 a plan developed by the ,iowa          
,legislative ,services ,agency with the 
assistance of a ,temporary              
,redistricting ,advisory ,commission1   
under law which was in effect for the   
most recent congressional redistricting 
carried out in the ,state prior to the  
date of the enactment of this ,act and  
which remains in effect continuously on 
and after the date of the enactment of  
this ,act4  #ajb4 ,ban on mid-decade    
redistricting ,a ,state that has been   
redistricted in accordance with this    
,act and a ,state described in section  
#aja7;c7 or section #aja7;d7 may not be 
redistricted again until after the next 
apportionment of ,representatives under 
section #bb7;a7 of the ,act entitled ,an
 ,act to provide for the fifteenth and  
subsequent decennial censuses and to    
provide for an apportionment of         

,representatives in ,congress1 approved 
,june #ah1 #aibi 7#b ,u4,s4,c4 #b;a71   
unless a court requires the ,state to   
conduct such subsequent redistricting to
 comply with the ,constitution of the   
,united ,states1 the ,voting ,rights    
,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcja et  
seq471 the ,constitution of the ,state1 
or the terms or conditions of this ,act4
  ,,ii ,independent ,redistricting      
,commissions  #bja4 ,independent        
redistricting commission  7a7           
,appointment of members  7#a7 ,in       
general ,the nonpartisan agency         
established or designated by a ,state   
under section #bjd7;a7 shall establish  
an independent redistricting commission 
for the ,state1 which shall consist of  
#ae members appointed by the agency as  
follows3  7,a7 ,not later than ,october 
#a of a year ending in the numeral zero1
 the agency shall1 at a public meeting  
held not earlier than #ae days after    
notice of the meeting has been given to 
the public1 first appoint #f members as 

follows3  7i7 ,the agency shall appoint 
#b members on a random basis from the   
majority category of the approved       
selection pool 7as described in section 
#bjb7;b77#a77;,a774  7ii7 ,the agency   
shall appoint #b members on a random    
basis from the minority category of the 
approved selection pool 7as described in
 section #bjb7;b77#a77;,b774  7iii7 ,the
 agency shall appoint #b members on a   
random basis from the independent       
category of the approved selection pool 
7as described in section                
#bjb7;b77#a77;,c774  7,b7 ,not later    
than ,november #ae of a year ending in  
the numeral zero1 the members appointed 
by the agency under subparagraph 7,a7   
shall1 at a public meeting held not     
earlier than #ae days after notice of   
the meeting has been given to the       
public1 then appoint #i members as      
follows3  7i7 ,the members shall appoint
 #c members from the majority category  
of the approved selection pool 7as      
described in section #bjb7;b77#a77;,a774

  7ii7 ,the members shall appoint #c    
members from the minority category of   
the approved selection pool 7as         
described in section #bjb7;b77#a77;,b774
  7iii7 ,the members shall appoint #c   
members from the independent category of
 the approved selection pool 7as        
described in section #bjb7;b77#a77;,c774
  7#b7 ,rules for appointment of members
 appointed by first members  7,a7       
,affirmative vote of at least #d members
 ,the appointment of any of the #i      
members of the independent redistricting
 commission who are appointed by the    
first members of the commission pursuant
 to subparagraph 7,b7 of paragraph 7#a71
 as well as the designation of          
alternates for such members pursuant to 
subparagraph 7,b7 of paragraph 7#c7 and 
the appointment of alternates to fill   
vacancies pursuant to subparagraph 7,b7 
of paragraph 7#d71 shall require the    
affirmative vote of at least #d of the  
members appointed by the nonpartisan    
agency under subparagraph 7,a7 of       

paragraph 7#a71 including at least one  
member from each of the categories      
referred to in such subparagraph4  7,b7 
,ensuring diversity ,in appointing the  
#i members pursuant to subparagraph 7,b7
 of paragraph 7#a71 as well as in       
designating alternates pursuant to      
subparagraph 7,b7 of paragraph 7#c7 and 
in appointing alternates to fill        
vacancies pursuant to subparagraph 7,b7 
of paragraph 7#d71 the first members of 
the independent redistricting commission
 shall ensure that the membership is    
representative of the demographic groups
 7including racial1 ethnic1 economic1   
and gender7 and geographic regions of   
the ,state1 and provides racial1 ethnic1
 and language minorities protected under
 the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife with 
a meaningful opportunity to participate 
in the development of the ,state's      
redistricting plan4  7#c7 ,designation  
of alternates to serve in case of       
vacancies  7,a7 ,members appointed by   
agency ,at the time the agency appoints 

the members of the independent          
redistricting commission under          
subparagraph 7,a7 of paragraph 7#a7 from
 each of the categories referred to in  
such subparagraph1 the agency shall1 on 
a random basis1 designate #b other      
individuals from such category to serve 
as alternate members who may be         
appointed to fill vacancies in the      
commission in accordance with paragraph 
7#d74  7,b7 ,members appointed by first 
members ,at the time the members        
appointed by the agency appoint the     
other members of the independent        
redistricting commission under          
subparagraph 7,b7 of paragraph 7#a7 from
 each of the categories referred to in  
such subparagraph1 the members shall1 in
 accordance with the special rules      
described in paragraph 7#b71 designate  
#b other individuals from such category 
to serve as alternate members who may be
 appointed to fill vacancies in the     
commission in accordance with paragraph 
7#d74  7#d7 ,appointment of alternates  

to serve in case of vacancies  7,a7     
,members appointed by agency ,if a      
vacancy occurs in the commission with   
respect to a member who was appointed by
 the nonpartisan agency under           
subparagraph 7,a7 of paragraph 7#a7 from
 one of the categories referred to in   
such subparagraph1 the agency shall fill
 the vacancy by appointing1 on a random 
basis1 one of the #b alternates from    
such category who was designated under  
subparagraph 7,a7 of paragraph 7#c74 ,at
 the time the agency appoints an        
alternate to fill a vacancy under the   
previous sentence1 the agency shall     
designate1 on a random basis1 another   
individual from the same category to    
serve as an alternate member1 in        
accordance with subparagraph 7,a7 of    
paragraph 7#c74  7,b7 ,members appointed
 by first members ,if a vacancy occurs  
in the commission with respect to a     
member who was appointed by the first   
members of the commission under         
subparagraph 7,b7 of paragraph 7#a7 from

 one of the categories referred to in   
such subparagraph1 the first members    
shall1 in accordance with the special   
rules described in paragraph 7#b71 fill 
the vacancy by appointing one of the #b 
alternates from such category who was   
designated under subparagraph 7,b7 of   
paragraph 7#c74 ,at the time the first  
members appoint an alternate to fill a  
vacancy under the previous sentence1 the
 first members shall1 in accordance with
 the special rules described in         
paragraph 7#b71 designate another       
individual from the same category to    
serve as an alternate member1 in        
accordance with subparagraph 7,b7 of    
paragraph 7#c74  7#e7 ,removal ,a member
 of the independent redistricting       
commission may be removed by a majority 
vote of the remaining members of the    
commission if it is shown by a          
preponderance of the evidence that the  
member is not eligible to serve on the  
commission under section #bjb7;a74  7b7 
,procedures for ,conducting ,commission 

,business  7#a7 ,chair ,members of an   
independent redistricting commission    
established under this section shall    
select by majority vote one member who  
was appointed from the independent      
category of the approved selection pool 
described in section #bjb7;b77#a77;,c7  
to serve as chair of the commission4    
,the commission may not take any action 
to develop a redistricting plan for the 
,state under section #bjc until the     
appointment of the commission's chair4  
7#b7 ,requiring majority approval for   
actions ,the independent redistricting  
commission of a ,state may not publish  
and disseminate any draft or final      
redistricting plan1 or take any other   
action1 without the approval of at      
least--  7,a7 a majority of the whole   
membership of the commission2 and  7,b7 
at least one member of the commission   
appointed from each of the categories of
 the approved selection pool described  
in section #bjb7;b77#a74  7#c7 ,quorum  
,a majority of the members of the       

commission shall constitute a quorum4   
7c7 ,staff2 ,contractors  7#a7 ,staff   
,under a public application process in  
which all application materials are     
available for public inspection1 the    
independent redistricting commission of 
a ,state shall appoint and set the pay  
of technical experts1 legal counsel1    
consultants1 and such other staff as it 
considers appropriate1 subject to ,state
 law4  7#b7 ,contractors ,the           
independent redistricting commission of 
a ,state may enter into such contracts  
with vendors as it considers            
appropriate1 subject to ,state law1     
except that any such contract shall be  
valid only if approved by the vote of a 
majority of the members of the          
commission1 including at least one      
member appointed from each of the       
categories of the approved selection    
pool described in section #bjb7;b77#a74 
7#c7 ,reports on expenditures for       
political activity  7,a7 ,report by     
applicants ,each individual who applies 

for a position as an employee of the    
independent redistricting commission and
 each vendor who applies for a contract 
with the commission shall1 at the time  
of applying1 file with the commission a 
report summarizing--  7i7 any           
expenditure for political activity made 
by such individual or vendor during the 
#aj most recent calendar years2 and     
7ii7 any income received by such        
individual or vendor during the #aj most
 recent calendar years which is         
attributable to an expenditure for      
political activity4  7,b7 ,annual       
reports by employees and vendors ,each  
person who is an employee or vendor of  
the independent redistricting commission
 shall1 not later than one year after   
the person is appointed as an employee  
or enters into a contract as a vendor   
7as the case may be7 and annually       
thereafter for each year during which   
the person serves as an employee or a   
vendor1 file with the commission a      
report summarizing the expenditures and 

income described in subparagraph 7,a7   
during the #aj most recent calendar     
years4  7,c7 ,expenditure for political 
activity defined ,in this paragraph1 the
 term expenditure for political activity
 means a disbursement for any of the    
following3 7i7 ,an independent          
expenditure1 as defined in section      
#cja7ag7 of the ,federal ,election      
,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4  
#cjaja7ag774  7ii7 ,an electioneering   
communication1 as defined in section    
#cjd7;f77#c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4
 #cjajd7;f77#c77 or any other public    
communication1 as defined in section    
#cja7bb7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4    
#cjaja7bb77 that would be an            
electioneering communication if it were 
a broadcast1 cable1 or satellite        
communication4  7iii7 ,any dues or other
 payments to trade associations or      
organizations described in section      
#eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code
 of #aihf and exempt from tax under     
section #eja7;a7 of such ,code that are1

 or could reasonably be anticipated to  
be1 used or transferred to another      
association or organization for a use   
described in paragraph 7#a71 7#b71 or   
7#d7 of section #eja7;c7 of such ,code4 
7#d7 ,goal of impartiality ,the         
commission shall take such steps as it  
considers appropriate to ensure that any
 staff appointed under this subsection1 
and any vendor with whom the commission 
enters into a contract under this       
subsection1 will work in an impartial   
manner1 and may require any person who  
applies for an appointment to a staff   
position or for a vendor's contract with
 the commission to provide information  
on the person's history of political    
activity beyond the information on the  
person's expenditures for political     
activity provided in the reports        
required under paragraph 7#c7 7including
 donations to candidates1 political     
committees1 and political parties7 as a 
condition of the appointment or the     
contract4  7#e7 ,disqualification2      

waiver  7,a7 ,in general ,the           
independent redistricting commission may
 not appoint an individual as an        
employee1 and may not enter into a      
contract with a vendor1 if the          
individual or vendor meets any of the   
criteria for the disqualification of an 
individual from serving as a member of  
the commission which are set forth in   
section #bjb7;a77#b74  7,b7 ,waiver ,the
 commission may by unanimous vote of its
 members waive the application of       
subparagraph 7,a7 to an individual or a 
vendor after receiving and reviewing the
 report filed by the individual or      
vendor under paragraph 7#c74  7d7       
,termination  7#a7 ,in general ,the     
independent redistricting commission of 
a ,state shall terminate on the earlier 
of-- 7,a7 ,june #ad of the next year    
ending in the numeral zero2 or  7,b7 the
 day on which the nonpartisan agency    
established or designated by a ,state   
under section #bjd7;a7 has1 in          
accordance with section #bjb7;b77#a71   

submitted a selection pool to the       
,select ,committee on ,redistricting for
 the ,state established under section   
#bjd7;b74  7#b7 ,preservation of records
 ,the ,state shall ensure that the      
records of the independent redistricting
 commission are retained in the         
appropriate ,state archive in such      
manner as may be necessary to enable the
 ,state to respond to any civil action  
brought with respect to congressional   
redistricting in the ,state4  #bjb4     
,establishment of selection pool of     
individuals eligible to serve as members
 of commission  7a7 ,criteria for       
,eligibility  7#a7 ,in general ,an      
individual is eligible to serve as a    
member of an independent redistricting  
commission if the individual meets each 
of the following criteria3  7,a7 ,as of 
the date of appointment1 the individual 
is registered to vote in elections for  
,federal office held in the ,state4     
7,b7 ,during the #c-year period ending  
on the date of the individual's         

appointment1 the individual has been    
continuously registered to vote with the
 same political party1 or has not been  
registered to vote with any political   
party4  7,c7 ,the individual submits to 
the nonpartisan agency established or   
designated by a ,state under section    
#bjc1 at such time and in such form as  
the agency may require1 an application  
for inclusion in the selection pool     
under this section1 and includes with   
the application a written statement1    
with an attestation under penalty of    
perjury1 containing the following       
information and assurances3  7i7 ,the   
full current name and any former names  
of1 and the contact information for1 the
 individual1 including an electronic    
mail address1 the address of the        
individual's residence1 mailing address1
 and telephone numbers4  7ii7 ,the      
individual's race1 ethnicity1 gender1   
age1 date of birth1 and household income
 for the most recent taxable year4      
7iii7 ,the political party with which   

the individual is affiliated1 if any4   
7iv7 ,the reason or reasons the         
individual desires to serve on the      
independent redistricting commission1   
the individual's qualifications1 and    
information relevant to the ability of  
the individual to be fair and impartial1
 including1 but not limited to--  7,i7  
any involvement with1 or financial      
support of1 professional1 social1       
political1 religious1 or community      
organizations or causes2 and  7,,ii7 the
 individual's employment and educational
 history4  7v7 ,an assurance that the   
individual shall commit to carrying out 
the individual's duties under this ,act 
in an honest1 independent1 and impartial
 fashion1 and to upholding public       
confidence in the integrity of the      
redistricting process4  7vi7 ,an        
assurance that1 during the covered      
periods described in paragraph 7#c71 the
 individual has not taken and will not  
take any action which would disqualify  
the individual from serving as a member 

of the commission under paragraph 7#b74 
7#b7 ,disqualifications ,an individual  
is not eligible to serve as a member of 
the commission if any of the following  
applies during any of the covered       
periods described in paragraph 7#c73    
7,a7 ,the individual or 7in the case of 
the covered periods described in        
subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of paragraph
 7#c77 an immediate family member of the
 individual holds public office or is a 
candidate for election for public       
office4  7,b7 ,the individual or 7in the
 case of the covered periods described  
in subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of       
paragraph 7#c77 an immediate family     
member of the individual serves as an   
officer of a political party or as an   
officer1 employee1 or paid consultant of
 a campaign committee of a candidate for
 public office or of any political      
action committee 7as determined in      
accordance with the law of the ,state74 
7,c7 ,the individual or 7in the case of 
the covered periods described in        

subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of paragraph
 7#c77 an immediate family member of the
 individual holds a position as a       
registered lobbyist under the ,lobbying 
,disclosure ,act of #aiie 7#b ,u4,s4,c4 
#afja et seq47 or an equivalent ,state  
or local law4  7,d7 ,the individual or  
7in the case of the covered periods     
described in subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7
 of paragraph 7#c77 an immediate family 
member of the individual is an employee 
of an elected public official1 a        
contractor with the government of the   
,state1 or a donor to the campaign of   
any candidate for public office or to   
any political action committee 7other   
than a donor who1 during any of such    
covered periods1 gives an aggregate     
amount of #a1jjj or less to the         
campaigns of all candidates for all     
public offices and to all political     
action committees74  7,e7 ,the          
individual or 7in the case of the       
covered periods described in            
subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of paragraph

 7#c77 an immediate family member of the
 individual paid a civil money penalty  
or criminal fine1 or was sentenced to a 
term of imprisonment1 for violating any 
provision of the ,federal ,election     
,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4  
#cjaja et seq474  7,f7 ,the individual  
or 7in the case of the covered periods  
described in subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7
 of paragraph 7#c77 an immediate family 
member of the individual is an agent of 
a foreign principal under the ,foreign  
,agents ,registration ,act of #aich1 as 
amended 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #faa et seq474   
7#c7 ,covered periods described ,in this
 subsection1 the term covered period    
means1 with respect to the appointment  
of an individual to the commission1 any 
of the following3 7,a7 ,the #aj-year    
period ending on the date of the        
individual's appointment4  7,b7 ,the    
period beginning on the date of the     
individual's appointment and ending on  
,august #ad of the next year ending in  
the numeral one4  7,c7 ,the #aj-year    

period beginning on the day after the   
last day of the period described in     
subparagraph 7,b74  7#d7 ,immediate     
family member defined ,in this          
subsection1 the term immediate family   
member means1 with respect to an        
individual1 a father1 stepfather1       
mother1 stepmother1 son1 stepson1       
daughter1 stepdaughter1 brother1        
stepbrother1 sister1 stepsister1        
husband1 wife1 father-in-law1 or        
mother-in-law4  7b7 ,development and    
,submission of ,selection ,pool  7#a7   
,in general ,not later than ,june #ae of
 each year ending in the numeral zero1  
the nonpartisan agency established or   
designated by a ,state under section    
#bjd7;a7 shall develop and submit to the
 ,select ,committee on ,redistricting   
for the ,state established under section
 #bjd7;b7 a selection pool of #cf       
individuals who are eligible to serve as
 members of the independent             
redistricting commission of the ,state  
under this ,act1 consisting of          

individuals in the following categories3
  7,a7 ,a majority category1 consisting 
of #ab individuals who are affiliated   
with the political party whose candidate
 received the most votes in the most    
recent ,statewide election for ,federal 
office held in the ,state4  7,b7 ,a     
minority category1 consisting of #ab    
individuals who are affiliated with the 
political party whose candidate received
 the second most votes in the most      
recent ,statewide election for ,federal 
office held in the ,state4  7,c7 ,an    
independent category1 consisting of #ab 
individuals who are not affiliated with 
either of the political parties         
described in subparagraph 7,a7 or       
subparagraph 7,b74  7#b7 ,factors taken 
into account in developing pool ,in     
selecting individuals for the selection 
pool under this subsection1 the         
nonpartisan agency shall--  7,a7 ensure 
that the pool is representative of the  
demographic groups 7including racial1   
ethnic1 economic1 and gender7 and       

geographic regions of the ,state1 and   
includes applicants who would allow     
racial1 ethnic1 and language minorities 
protected under the ,voting ,rights ,act
 of #aife a meaningful opportunity to   
participate in the development of the   
,state's redistricting plan2 and  7,b7  
take into consideration the analytical  
skills of the individuals selected in   
relevant fields 7including mapping1 data
 management1 law1 community outreach1   
demography1 and the geography of the    
,state7 and their ability to work on an 
impartial basis4  7#c7 ,interviews of   
applicants ,to assist the nonpartisan   
agency in developing the selection pool 
under this subsection1 the nonpartisan  
agency shall conduct interviews of      
applicants under oath4 ,if an individual
 is included in a selection pool        
developed under this section1 all of the
 interviews of the individual shall be  
transcribed and the transcriptions made 
available on the nonpartisan agency's   
website contemporaneously with release  

of the report under paragraph 7#f74     
7#d7 ,determination of political party  
affiliation of individuals in selection 
pool ,for purposes of this section1 an  
individual shall be considered to be    
affiliated with a political party only  
if the nonpartisan agency is able to    
verify 7to the greatest extent possible7
 the information the individual provides
 in the application submitted under     
subsection 7a77#a77;,d71 including by   
considering additional information      
provided by other persons with knowledge
 of the individual's history of         
political activity4  7#e7 ,encouraging  
residents to apply for inclusion in pool
 ,the nonpartisan agency shall take such
 steps as may be necessary to ensure    
that residents of the ,state across     
various geographic regions and          
demographic groups are aware of the     
opportunity to serve on the independent 
redistricting commission1 including     
publicizing the role of the panel and   
using newspapers1 broadcast media1 and  

online sources1 including ethnic media1 
to encourage individuals to apply for   
inclusion in the selection pool         
developed under this subsection4  7#f7  
,report on establishment of selection   
pool ,at the time the nonpartisan agency
 submits the selection pool to the      
,select ,committee on ,redistricting    
under paragraph 7#a71 it shall publish  
and post on the agency's public website 
a report describing the process by which
 the pool was developed1 and shall      
include in the report a description of  
how the individuals in the pool meet the
 eligibility criteria of subsection 7a7 
and of how the pool reflects the factors
 the agency is required to take into    
consideration under paragraph 7#b74     
7#g7 ,public comment on selection pool  
,during the #ad-;day period which begins
 on the date the nonpartisan agency     
publishes the report under paragraph    
7#f71 the agency shall accept comments  
from the public on the individuals      
included in the selection pool4 ,the    

agency shall post all such comments     
contemporaneously on the nonpartisan    
agency's website and shall transmit them
 to the ,select ,committee on           
,redistricting immediately upon the     
expiration of such period4  7#h7 ,action
 by ,select ,committee  7,a7 ,in general
 ,not earlier than #ae days and not     
later than #ba days after receiving the 
selection pool from the nonpartisan     
agency under paragraph 7#a71 the ,select
 ,committee on ,redistricting shall--   
7i7 approve the pool as submitted by the
 nonpartisan agency1 in which case the  
pool shall be considered the approved   
selection pool for purposes of section  
#bja7;a77#a72 or  7ii7 reject the pool1 
in which case the nonpartisan agency    
shall develop and submit a replacement  
selection pool in accordance with       
subsection 7c74  7,b7 ,inaction deemed  
rejection ,if the ,select ,committee on 
,redistricting fails to approve or      
reject the pool within the deadline set 
forth in subparagraph 7,a71 the ,select 

,committee shall be deemed to have      
rejected the pool for purposes of such  
subparagraph4  7c7 ,development of      
,replacement ,selection ,pool  7#a7 ,in 
general ,if the ,select ,committee on   
,redistricting rejects the selection    
pool submitted by the nonpartisan agency
 under subsection 7b71 not later than   
#ad days after the rejection1 the       
nonpartisan agency shall develop and    
submit to the ,select ,committee a      
replacement selection pool1 under the   
same terms and conditions that applied  
to the development and submission of the
 selection pool under paragraphs 7#a7   
through 7#g7 of subsection 7b74 ,the    
replacement pool submitted under this   
paragraph may include individuals who   
were included in the rejected selection 
pool submitted under subsection 7b71 so 
long as at least one of the individuals 
in the replacement pool was not included
 in such rejected pool4  7#b7 ,action by
 ,select ,committee  7,a7 ,in general   
,not later than #ba days after receiving

 the replacement selection pool from the
 nonpartisan agency under paragraph     
7#a71 the ,select ,committee on         
,redistricting shall--  7i7 approve the 
pool as submitted by the nonpartisan    
agency1 in which case the pool shall be 
considered the approved selection pool  
for purposes of section #bja7;a77#a72 or
  7ii7 reject the pool1 in which case   
the nonpartisan agency shall develop and
 submit a second replacement selection  
pool in accordance with subsection 7d74 
7,b7 ,inaction deemed rejection ,if the 
,select ,committee on ,redistricting    
fails to approve or reject the pool     
within the deadline set forth in        
subparagraph 7,a71 the ,select          
,committee shall be deemed to have      
rejected the pool for purposes of such  
subparagraph4  7d7 ,development of      
,second ,replacement ,selection ,pool   
7#a7 ,in general ,if the ,select        
,committee on ,redistricting rejects the
 replacement selection pool submitted by
 the nonpartisan agency under subsection

 7c71 not later than #ad days after the 
rejection1 the nonpartisan agency shall 
develop and submit to the ,select       
,committee a second replacement         
selection pool1 under the same terms and
 conditions that applied to the         
development and submission of the       
selection pool under paragraphs 7#a7    
through 7#g7 of subsection 7b74 ,the    
second replacement selection pool       
submitted under this paragraph may      
include individuals who were included in
 the rejected selection pool submitted  
under subsection 7b7 or the rejected    
replacement selection pool submitted    
under subsection 7c71 so long as at     
least one of the individuals in the     
replacement pool was not included in    
either such rejected pool4  7#b7 ,action
 by ,select ,committee  7,a7 ,in general
 ,not earlier than #ae days and not     
later than #ad days after receiving the 
second replacement selection pool from  
the nonpartisan agency under paragraph  
7#a71 the ,select ,committee on         

,redistricting shall--  7i7 approve the 
pool as submitted by the nonpartisan    
agency1 in which case the pool shall be 
considered the approved selection pool  
for purposes of section #bja7;a77#a72 or
  7ii7 reject the pool4  7,b7 ,inaction 
deemed rejection ,if the ,select        
,committee on ,redistricting fails to   
approve or reject the pool within the   
deadline set forth in subparagraph 7,a71
 the ,select ,committee shall be deemed 
to have rejected the pool for purposes  
of such subparagraph4  7,c7 ,effect of  
rejection ,if the ,select ,committee on 
,redistricting rejects the second       
replacement pool from the nonpartisan   
agency under paragraph 7#a71 the        
redistricting plan for the ,state shall 
be developed and enacted in accordance  
with title ,,iii4  #bjc4 ,criteria for  
redistricting plan by independent       
commission2 public notice and input  7a7
 ,development of redistricting plan     
7#a7 ,criteria ,in developing a         
redistricting plan of a ,state1 the     

independent redistricting commission of 
a ,state shall establish single-member  
congressional districts using the       
following criteria as set forth in the  
following order of priority3  7,a7      
,districts shall comply with the ,united
 ,states ,constitution1 including the   
requirement that they equalize total    
population4  7,b7 ,districts shall      
comply with the ,voting ,rights ,act of 
#aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcja et seq47 and
 all applicable ,federal laws4  7,c7    
,districts shall provide racial1 ethnic1
 and language minorities with an equal  
opportunity to participate in the       
political process and to elect          
candidates of choice and shall not      
dilute or diminish their ability to     
elect candidates of choice whether alone
 or in coalition with others4  7,d7     
,districts shall respect communities of 
interest1 neighborhoods1 and political  
subdivisions to the extent practicable  
and after compliance with the           
requirements of subparagraphs 7,a7      

through 7,c74 ,a community of interest  
is defined as an area with recognized   
similarities of interests1 including but
 not limited to ethnic1 racial1         
economic1 social1 cultural1 geographic1 
or historic identities4 ,the term       
communities of interest may1 in certain 
circumstances1 include political        
subdivisions such as counties1          
municipalities1 or school districts1 but
 shall not include common relationships 
with political parties or political     
candidates4  7#b7 ,no favoring or       
disfavoring of political parties ,except
 as may be required to meet the criteria
 described in paragraph 7#a71 the       
redistricting plan developed by the     
independent redistricting commission    
shall not1 when considered on a         
,statewide basis1 unduly favor or       
disfavor any political party4  7#c7     
,factors prohibited from consideration  
,in developing the redistricting plan   
for the ,state1 the independent         
redistricting commission may not take   

into consideration any of the following 
factors1 except to the extent necessary 
to comply with the criteria described in
 subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,c7 of     
paragraph 7#a71 paragraph 7#b71 and to  
enable the redistricting plan to be     
measured against the external metrics   
described in subsection 7e73  7,a7 ,the 
residence of any ,member of the ,house  
of ,representatives or candidate4  7,b7 
,the political party affiliation or     
voting history of the population of a   
district4  7b7 ,public notice and input 
7#a7 ,use of open and transparent       
process ,the independent redistricting  
commission of a ,state shall hold each  
of its meetings in public1 shall solicit
 and take into consideration comments   
from the public1 including proposed     
maps1 throughout the process of         
developing the redistricting plan for   
the ,state1 and shall carry out its     
duties in an open and transparent manner
 which provides for the widest public   
dissemination reasonably possible of its

 proposed and final redistricting plans4
  7#b7 ,website  7,a7 ,features ,the    
commission shall maintain a public      
internet site which is not affiliated   
with or maintained by the office of any 
elected official and which includes the 
following features3  7i7 ,general       
information on the commission1 its role 
in the redistricting process1 and its   
members1 including contact information4 
7ii7 ,an updated schedule of commission 
hearings and activities1 including      
deadlines for the submission of         
comments4  7iii7 ,all draft             
redistricting plans developed by the    
commission under subsection 7c7 and the 
final redistricting plan developed under
 subsection 7d71 including the          
accompanying written evaluation under   
subsection 7e74  7iv7 ,all comments     
received from the public on the         
commission's activities1 including any  
proposed maps submitted under paragraph 
7#a74  7v7 ,live streaming of commission
 hearings and an archive of previous    

meetings1 including any documents       
considered at any such meeting1 which   
the commission shall post not later than
 #bd hours after the conclusion of the  
meeting4  7vi7 ,access in an easily     
useable format to the demographic and   
other data used by the commission to    
develop and analyze the proposed        
redistricting plans1 together with      
access to any software used to draw maps
 of proposed districts and to any       
reports analyzing and evaluating any    
such maps4  7vii7 ,a method by which    
members of the public may submit        
comments and proposed maps directly to  
the commission4  7viii7 ,all records of 
the commission1 including all           
communications to or from members1      
employees1 and contractors regarding the
 work of the commission4  7ix7 ,a list  
of all contractors receiving payment    
from the commission1 together with the  
annual disclosures submitted by the     
contractors under section #bja7;c77#c74 
7x7 ,a list of the names of all         

individuals who submitted applications  
to serve on the commission1 together    
with the applications submitted by      
individuals included in any selection   
pool1 except that the commission may    
redact from such applications any       
financial or other personally sensitive 
information4  7,b7 ,searchable format   
,the commission shall ensure that all   
information posted and maintained on the
 site under this paragraph1 including   
information and proposed maps submitted 
by the public1 shall be maintained in an
 easily searchable format4  7,c7        
,deadline ,the commission shall ensure  
that the public internet site under this
 paragraph is operational 7in at least a
 preliminary format7 not later than     
,january #a of the year ending in the   
numeral one4  7#c7 ,public comment      
period ,the commission shall solicit1   
accept1 and consider comments from the  
public with respect to its duties1      
activities1 and procedures at any time  
during the period--  7,a7 which begins  

on ,january #a of the year ending in the
 numeral one2 and  7,b7 which ends #g   
days before the date of the meeting at  
which the commission shall vote on      
approving the final redistricting plan  
for enactment into law under subsection 
7d77#b74  7#d7 ,meetings and hearings in
 various geographic locations ,to the   
greatest extent practicable1 the        
commission shall hold its meetings and  
hearings in various geographic regions  
and locations throughout the ,state4    
7#e7 ,multiple language requirements for
 all notices ,the commission shall make 
each notice which is required to be     
posted and published under this section 
available in any language in which the  
,state 7or any jurisdiction in the      
,state7 is required to provide election 
materials under section #bjc of the     
,voting ,rights ,act of #aife4  7c7     
,development and ,publication of        
,preliminary ,redistricting ,plan  7#a7 
,in general ,prior to developing and    
publishing a final redistricting plan   

under subsection 7d71 the independent   
redistricting commission of a ,state    
shall develop and publish a preliminary 
redistricting plan4  7#b7 ,minimum      
public hearings and opportunity for     
comment prior to development  7,a7      
,three hearings required ,prior to      
developing a preliminary redistricting  
plan under this subsection1 the         
commission shall hold not fewer than #c 
public hearings at which members of the 
public may provide input and comments   
regarding the potential contents of     
redistricting plans for the ,state and  
the process by which the commission will
 develop the preliminary plan under this
 subsection4  7,b7 ,minimum period for  
notice prior to hearings ,not fewer than
 #ad days prior to the date of each     
hearing held under this paragraph1 the  
commission shall post notices of the    
hearing on the website maintained under 
subsection 7b77#b71 and shall provide   
for the publication of such notices in  
newspapers of general circulation       

throughout the ,state4 ,each such notice
 shall specify the date1 time1 and      
location of the hearing4  7,c7          
,submission of plans and maps by members
 of the public ,any member of the public
 may submit maps or portions of maps for
 consideration by the commission4 ,as   
provided under subsection 7b77#b77;,a71 
any such map shall be made publicly     
available on the commission's website   
and open to comment4  7#c7 ,publication 
of preliminary plan  7,a7 ,in general   
,the commission shall post the          
preliminary redistricting plan developed
 under this subsection1 together with a 
report that includes the commission's   
responses to any public comments        
received under subsection 7b77#c71 on   
the website maintained under subsection 
7b77#b71 and shall provide for the      
publication of each such plan in        
newspapers of general circulation       
throughout the ,state4  7,b7 ,minimum   
period for notice prior to publication  
,not fewer than #ad days prior to the   

date on which the commission posts and  
publishes the preliminary plan under    
this paragraph1 the commission shall    
notify the public through the website   
maintained under subsection 7b77#b71 as 
well as through publication of notice in
 newspapers of general circulation      
throughout the ,state1 of the pending   
publication of the plan4  7#d7 ,minimum 
post-publication period for public      
comment ,the commission shall accept and
 consider comments from the public      
7including through the website          
maintained under subsection 7b77#b77    
with respect to the preliminary         
redistricting plan published under      
paragraph 7#c71 including proposed      
revisions to maps1 for not fewer than   
#cj days after the date on which the    
plan is published4  7#e7                
,post-publication hearings  7,a7 ,three 
hearings required ,after posting and    
publishing the preliminary redistricting
 plan under paragraph 7#c71 the         
commission shall hold not fewer than #c 

public hearings in different geographic 
areas of the ,state at which members of 
the public may provide input and        
comments regarding the preliminary plan4
  7,b7 ,minimum period for notice prior 
to hearings ,not fewer than #ad days    
prior to the date of each hearing held  
under this paragraph1 the commission    
shall post notices of the hearing on the
 website maintained under subsection    
7b77#b71 and shall provide for the      
publication of such notices in          
newspapers of general circulation       
throughout the ,state4 ,each such notice
 shall specify the date1 time1 and      
location of the hearing4  7#f7          
,permitting multiple preliminary plans  
,at the option of the commission1 after 
developing and publishing the           
preliminary redistricting plan under    
this subsection1 the commission may     
develop and publish subsequent          
preliminary redistricting plans1 so long
 as the process for the development and 
publication of each such subsequent plan

 meets the requirements set forth in    
this subsection for the development and 
publication of the first preliminary    
redistricting plan4  7d7 ,process for   
,enactment of ,final ,redistricting     
,plan  7#a7 ,in general ,after taking   
into consideration comments from the    
public on any preliminary redistricting 
plan developed and published under      
subsection 7c71 the independent         
redistricting commission of a ,state    
shall develop and publish a final       
redistricting plan for the ,state4  7#b7
 ,meeting2 final vote ,not later than   
the deadline specified in subsection    
7h71 the commission shall hold a public 
hearing at which the members of the     
commission shall vote on approving the  
final plan for enactment into law4  7#c7
 ,publication of plan and accompanying  
materials ,not fewer than #ad days      
before the date of the meeting under    
paragraph 7#b71 the commission shall    
provide the following information to the
 public through the website maintained  

under subsection 7b77#b71 as well as    
through newspapers of general           
circulation throughout the ,state3  7,a7
 ,the final redistricting plan1         
including all relevant maps4  7,b7 ,a   
report by the commission to accompany   
the plan which provides the background  
for the plan and the commission's       
reasons for selecting the plan as the   
final redistricting plan1 including     
responses to the public comments        
received on any preliminary             
redistricting plan developed and        
published under subsection 7c74  7,c7   
,any dissenting or additional views with
 respect to the plan of individual      
members of the commission4  7#d7        
,enactment ,the final redistricting plan
 developed and published under this     
subsection shall be deemed to be enacted
 into law if--  7,a7 the plan is        
approved by a majority of the whole     
membership of the commission2 and  7,b7 
at least one member of the commission   
appointed from each of the categories of

 the approved selection pool described  
in section #bjb7;b77#a7 approves the    
plan4  7e7 ,written evaluation of plan  
against external metrics ,the           
independent redistricting commission    
shall include with each redistricting   
plan developed and published under this 
section a written evaluation that       
measures each such plan against external
 metrics which cover the criteria set   
forth in paragraph 7#a7 of subsection   
7a71 including the impact of the plan on
 the ability of communities of color to 
elect candidates of choice1 measures of 
partisan fairness using multiple        
accepted methodologies1 and the degree  
to which the plan preserves or divides  
communities of interest4  7f7 ,timing   
,the independent redistricting          
commission of a ,state may begin its    
work on the redistricting plan of the   
,state upon receipt of relevant         
population information from the ,bureau 
of the ,census1 and shall approve a     
final redistricting plan for the ,state 

in each year ending in the numeral one  
not later than #h months after the date 
on which the ,state receives the ,state 
apportionment notice or ,october #a1    
whichever occurs later4  #bjd4          
,establishment of related entities  7a7 
,establishment or ,designation of       
,nonpartisan ,agency of ,state          
,legislature  7#a7 ,in general ,each    
,state shall establish a nonpartisan    
agency in the legislative branch of the 
,state government to appoint the members
 of the independent redistricting       
commission for the ,state in accordance 
with section #bja4  7#b7                
,nonpartisanship described ,for purposes
 of this subsection1 an agency shall be 
considered to be nonpartisan if under   
law the agency--  7,a7 is required to   
provide services on a nonpartisan basis2
  7,b7 is required to maintain          
impartiality2 and  7,c7 is prohibited   
from advocating for the adoption or     
rejection of any legislative proposal4  
7#c7 ,training of members appointed to  

commission ,not later than ,january #ae 
of a year ending in the numeral one1 the
 nonpartisan agency established or      
designated under this subsection shall  
provide the members of the independent  
redistricting commission with initial   
training on their obligations as members
 of the commission1 including           
obligations under the ,voting ,rights   
,act of #aife and other applicable laws4
  7#d7 ,regulations ,the nonpartisan    
agency established or designated under  
this subsection shall adopt and publish 
regulations1 after notice and           
opportunity for comment1 establishing   
the procedures that the agency will     
follow in fulfilling its duties under   
this ,act1 including the procedures to  
be used in vetting the qualifications   
and political affiliation of applicants 
and in creating the selection pools1 the
 randomized process to be used in       
selecting the initial members of the    
independent redistricting commission1   
and the rules that the agency will apply

 to ensure that the agency carries out  
its duties under this ,act in a         
maximally transparent1 publicly         
accessible1 and impartial manner4  7#e7 
,designation of existing agency ,at its 
option1 a ,state may designate an       
existing agency in the legislative      
branch of its government to appoint the 
members of the independent redistricting
 commission plan for the ,state under   
this ,act1 so long as the agency meets  
the requirements for nonpartisanship    
under this subsection4  7#f7            
,termination of agency specifically     
established for redistricting ,if a     
,state does not designate an existing   
agency under paragraph 7#e7 but instead 
establishes a new agency to serve as the
 nonpartisan agency under this section1 
the new agency shall terminate upon the 
enactment into law of the redistricting 
plan for the ,state4  7#g7 ,preservation
 of records ,the ,state shall ensure    
that the records of the nonpartisan     
agency are retained in the appropriate  

,state archive in such manner as may be 
necessary to enable the ,state to       
respond to any civil action brought with
 respect to congressional redistricting 
in the ,state4  7#h7 ,deadline ,the     
,state shall meet the requirements of   
this subsection not later than each     
,october #ae of a year ending in the    
numeral nine4  7b7 ,establishment of    
,select ,committee on ,redistricting    
7#a7 ,in general ,each ,state shall     
appoint a ,select ,committee on         
,redistricting to approve or disapprove 
a selection pool developed by the       
independent redistricting commission for
 the ,state under section #bjb4  7#b7   
,appointment ,the ,select ,committee on 
,redistricting for a ,state under this  
subsection shall consist of the         
following members3  7,a7 ,one member of 
the upper house of the ,state           
legislature1 who shall be appointed by  
the leader of the party with the        
greatest number of seats in the upper   
house4  7,b7 ,one member of the upper   

house of the ,state legislature1 who    
shall be appointed by the leader of the 
party with the second greatest number of
 seats in the upper house4  7,c7 ,one   
member of the lower house of the ,state 
legislature1 who shall be appointed by  
the leader of the party with the        
greatest number of seats in the lower   
house4  7,d7 ,one member of the lower   
house of the ,state legislature1 who    
shall be appointed by the leader of the 
party with the second greatest number of
 seats in the lower house4  7#c7        
,special rule for ,states with          
unicameral legislature ,in the case of a
 ,state with a unicameral legislature1  
the ,select ,committee on ,redistricting
 for the ,state under this subsection   
shall consist of the following members3 
7,a7 ,two members of the ,state         
legislature appointed by the chair of   
the political party of the ,state whose 
candidate received the highest          
percentage of votes in the most recent  
,statewide election for ,federal office 

held in the ,state4  7,b7 ,two members  
of the ,state legislature appointed by  
the chair of the political party whose  
candidate received the second highest   
percentage of votes in the most recent  
,statewide election for ,federal office 
held in the ,state4  7#d7 ,deadline ,the
 ,state shall meet the requirements of  
this subsection not later than each     
,january #ae of a year ending in the    
numeral zero4  #bje4 ,report on         
diversity of memberships of independent 
redistricting commissions ,not later    
than ,may #ae of a year ending in the   
numeral one1 the ,comptroller ,general  
of the ,united ,states shall submit to  
,congress a report on the extent to     
which the memberships of independent    
redistricting commissions for ,states   
established under this title with       
respect to the immediately preceding    
year ending in the numeral zero meet the
 diversity requirements as provided for 
in sections #bja7;a77#b77;,b7 and       
#bjb7;b77#b74  ,,iii ,role of ,courts in

 ,development of ,redistricting ,plans  
#cja4 ,enactment of plan developed by   
#c-;judge court  7a7 ,development of    
,plan ,if any of the triggering events  
described in subsection 7f7 occur with  
respect to a ,state-- 7#a7 not later    
than ,december #ae of the year in which 
the triggering event occurs1 the ,united
 ,states district court for the         
applicable venue1 acting through a      
#c-;judge ,court convened pursuant to   
section #bbhd of title #bh1 ,united     
,states ,code1 shall develop and publish
 the congressional redistricting plan   
for the ,state2 and  7#b7 the final plan
 developed and published by the ,court  
under this section shall be deemed to be
 enacted on the date on which the ,court
 publishes the final plan1 as described 
in subsection 7d74  7b7 ,applicable     
venue described ,for purposes of this   
section1 the applicable venue with      
respect to a ,state is the ,district of 
,columbia or the judicial district in   
which the capital of the ,state is      

located1 as selected by the first party 
to file with the court sufficient       
evidence of the occurrence of a         
triggering event described in subsection
 7f74  7c7 ,procedures for ,development 
of ,plan  7#a7 ,criteria ,in developing 
a redistricting plan for a ,state under 
this section1 the ,court shall adhere to
 the same terms and conditions that     
applied 7or that would have applied1 as 
the case may be7 to the development of a
 plan by the independent redistricting  
commission of the ,state under section  
#bjc7;a74  7#b7 ,access to information  
and records of commission ,the ,court   
shall have access to any information1   
data1 software1 or other records and    
material that was used 7or that would   
have been used1 as the case may be7 by  
the independent redistricting commission
 of the ,state in carrying out its      
duties under this ,act4  7#c7 ,hearing2 
public participation ,in developing a   
redistricting plan for a ,state1 the    
,court shall-- 7,a7 hold one or more    

evidentiary hearings at which interested
 members of the public may appear and be
 heard and present testimony1 including 
expert testimony1 in accordance with the
 rules of the ,court2 and  7,b7 consider
 other submissions and comments by the  
public1 including proposals for         
redistricting plans to cover the entire 
,state or any portion of the ,state4    
7#d7 ,use of special master ,to assist  
in the development and publication of a 
redistricting plan for a ,state under   
this section1 the ,court may appoint a  
special master to make recommendations  
to the ,court on possible plans for the 
,state4  7d7 ,publication of plan  7#a7 
,public availability of initial plan    
,upon completing the development of one 
or more initial redistricting plans1 the
 ,court shall make the plans available  
to the public at no cost1 and shall also
 make available the underlying data used
 by the ,court to develop the plans and 
a written evaluation of the plans       
against external metrics 7as described  

in section #bjc7;e774  7#b7 ,publication
 of final plan ,at any time after the   
expiration of the #ad-;day period which 
begins on the date the ,court makes the 
plans available to the public under     
paragraph 7#a71 and taking into         
consideration any submissions and       
comments by the public which are        
received during such period1 the ,court 
shall develop and publish the final     
redistricting plan for the ,state4  7e7 
,use of interim plan ,in the event that 
the ,court is not able to develop and   
publish a final redistricting plan for  
the ,state with sufficient time for an  
upcoming election to proceed1 the ,court
 may develop and publish an interim     
redistricting plan which shall serve as 
the redistricting plan for the ,state   
until the ,court develops and publishes 
a final plan in accordance with this    
section4 ,nothing in this subsection may
 be construed to limit or otherwise     
affect the authority or discretion of   
the ,court to develop and publish the   

final redistricting plan1 including but 
not limited to the discretion to make   
any changes the ,court deems necessary  
to an interim redistricting plan4  7f7  
,triggering ,events ,described ,the     
triggering events described in this     
subsection are as follows3 7#a7 ,the    
failure of the ,state to establish or   
designate a nonpartisan agency of the   
,state legislature under section        
#bjd7;a7 prior to the expiration of the 
deadline set forth in section           
#bjd7;a77#e74  7#b7 ,the failure of the 
,state to appoint a ,select ,committee  
on ,redistricting under section #bjd7;b7
 prior to the expiration of the deadline
 set forth in section #bjd7;b77#d74     
7#c7 ,the failure of the ,select        
,committee on ,redistricting to approve 
any selection pool under section #bjb   
prior to the expiration of the deadline 
set forth for the approval of the second
 replacement selection pool in section  
#bjb7;d77#b74  7#d7 ,the failure of the 
independent redistricting commission of 

the ,state to approve a final           
redistricting plan for the ,state prior 
to the expiration of the deadline set   
forth in section #bjc7;f74  #cjb4       
,special rule for redistricting         
conducted under order of ,federal court 
,if a ,federal court requires a ,state  
to conduct redistricting subsequent to  
an apportionment of ,representatives in 
the ,state in order to comply with the  
,constitution or to enforce the ,voting 
,rights ,act of #aife1 section #bjc     
shall apply with respect to the         
redistricting1 except that the court may
 revise any of the deadlines set forth  
in such section if the court determines 
that a revision is appropriate in order 
to provide for a timely enactment of a  
new redistricting plan for the ,state4  
,,iv ,administrative and ,miscellaneous 
,provisions  #dja4 ,payments to ,states 
for carrying out redistricting  7a7     
,authorization of payments ,subject to  
subsection 7d71 not later than #cj days 
after a ,state receives a ,state        

apportionment notice1 the ,election     
,assistance ,commission shall1 subject  
to the availability of appropriations   
provided pursuant to subsection 7e71    
make a payment to the ,state in an      
amount equal to the product of--  7#a7  
the number of ,representatives to which 
the ,state is entitled1 as provided     
under the notice2 and  7#b7 #aej1jjj4   
7b7 ,use of funds ,a ,state shall use   
the payment made under this section to  
establish and operate the ,state's      
independent redistricting commission1 to
 implement the ,state redistricting     
plan1 and to otherwise carry out        
congressional redistricting in the      
,state4  7c7 ,no payment to states with 
single member ,the ,election ,assistance
 ,commission shall not make a payment   
under this section to any ,state which  
is not entitled to more than one        
,representative under its ,state        
apportionment notice4  7d7 ,requiring   
,submission of ,selection ,pool as      
,condition of ,payment  7#a7            

,requirement ,except as provided in     
paragraph 7#b7 and paragraph 7#c71 the  
,election ,assistance ,commission may   
not make a payment to a ,state under    
this section until the ,state certifies 
to the ,commission that the nonpartisan 
agency established or designated by a   
,state under section #bjd7;a7 has1 in   
accordance with section #bjb7;b77#a71   
submitted a selection pool to the       
,select ,committee on ,redistricting for
 the ,state established under section   
#bjd7;b74  7#b7 ,exception for ,states  
with existing commissions ,in the case  
of a ,state which1 pursuant to section  
#aja7;c71 is exempt from the            
requirements of section #aja7;a71 the   
,commission may not make a payment to   
the ,state under this section until the 
,state certifies to the ,commission that
 its redistricting commission meets the 
requirements of section #aja7;c74  7#c7 
,exception for ,state of ,iowa ,in the  
case of the ,state of ,iowa1 the        
,commission may not make a payment to   

the ,state under this section until the 
,state certifies to the ,commission that
 it will carry out congressional        
redistricting pursuant to the ,state's  
apportionment notice in accordance with 
a plan developed by the ,iowa           
,legislative ,services ,agency with the 
assistance of a ,temporary              
,redistricting ,advisory ,commission1 as
 provided under the law described in    
section #aja7;d74  7e7 ,authorization of
 appropriations ,there are authorized to
 be appropriated such sums as may be    
necessary for payments under this       
section4  #djb4 ,civil enforcement  7a7 
,civil ,enforcement  7#a7 ,actions by   
,attorney ,general ,the ,attorney       
,general may bring a civil action in an 
appropriate district court for such     
relief as may be appropriate to carry   
out this ,act4  7#b7 ,availability of   
private right of action ,any citizen of 
a ,state who is aggrieved by the failure
 of the ,state to meet the requirements 
of this ,act may bring a civil action in

 the ,united ,states district court for 
the applicable venue for such relief as 
may be appropriate to remedy the        
failure4 ,for purposes of this section1 
the applicable venue is the ,district of
 ,columbia or the judicial district in  
which the capital of the ,state is      
located1 as selected by the person who  
brings the civil action4  7b7 ,expedited
 ,consideration ,in any action brought  
forth under this section1 the following 
rules shall apply3 7#a7 ,the action     
shall be filed in the district court of 
the ,united ,states for the ,district of
 ,columbia or for the judicial district 
in which the capital of the ,state is   
located1 as selected by the person      
bringing the action4  7#b7 ,the action  
shall be heard by a #c-;judge court     
convened pursuant to section #bbhd of   
title #bh1 ,united ,states ,code4  7#c7 
,the #c-;judge court shall consolidate  
actions brought for relief under        
subsection 7b77#a7 with respect to the  
same ,state redistricting plan4  7#d7 ,a

 copy of the complaint shall be         
delivered promptly to the ,clerk of the 
,house of ,representatives and the      
,secretary of the ,senate4  7#e7 ,a     
final decision in the action shall be   
reviewable only by appeal directly to   
the ,supreme ,court of the ,united      
,states4 ,such appeal shall be taken by 
the filing of a notice of appeal within 
#aj days1 and the filing of a           
jurisdictional statement within #cj     
days1 of the entry of the final         
decision4  7#f7 ,it shall be the duty of
 the district court and the ,supreme    
,court of the ,united ,states to advance
 on the docket and to expedite to the   
greatest possible extent the disposition
 of the action and appeal4  7c7         
,attorney's ,fees ,in a civil action    
under this section1 the court may allow 
the prevailing party 7other than the    
,united ,states7 reasonable attorney    
fees1 including litigation expenses1 and
 costs4  7d7 ,relation to ,other ,laws  
7#a7 ,rights and remedies additional to 

other rights and remedies ,the rights   
and remedies established by this section
 are in addition to all other rights and
 remedies provided by law1 and neither  
the rights and remedies established by  
this section nor any other provision of 
this ,act shall supersede1 restrict1 or 
limit the application of the ,voting    
,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4    
#ajcja et seq474  7#b7 ,voting ,rights  
,act of #aife ,nothing in this ,act     
authorizes or requires conduct that is  
prohibited by the ,voting ,rights ,act  
of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcja et seq474
  #djc4 ,state apportionment notice     
defined ,in this ,act1 the ,state       
apportionment notice means1 with respect
 to a ,state1 the notice sent to the    
,state from the ,clerk of the ,house of 
,representatives under section #bb7;b7  
of the ,act entitled ,an ,act to provide
 for the fifteenth and subsequent       
decennial censuses and to provide for an
 apportionment of ,representatives in   
,congress1 approved ,june #ah1 #aibi 7#b

 ,u4,s4,c4 #b;a71 of the number of      
,representatives to which the ,state is 
entitled4  #djd4 ,no effect on elections
 for ,state and local office ,nothing in
 this ,act or in any amendment made by  
this ,act may be construed to affect the
 manner in which a ,state carries out   
elections for ,state or local office1   
including the process by which a ,state 
establishes the districts used in such  
elections4  #dje4 ,effective date ,this 
,act and the amendments made by this    
,act shall apply with respect to        
redistricting carried out pursuant to   
the decennial census conducted during   
#bjbj or any succeeding decennial       
census4