HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1

55th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second special session, 2021

INTRODUCED BY

T. Ryan Lane and David M. Gallegos and James G. Townsend

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

ADOPTING LEGISLATIVE JOINT RULE 13-1 REGARDING GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STATE AND CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING PLANS.

     WHEREAS, it is incumbent on the legislature to issue redistricting guidelines that articulate principles based on federal and state law and the prior experience of this legislature; and

     WHEREAS, such guidelines are necessary to assist the appropriate legislative committees involved in redistricting in the development and evaluation of redistricting plans following the decennial census; and

      WHEREAS, Legislative Joint Rule 8-1 provides for the adoption, amendment or repeal of joint rules by concurrent resolution approved by two-thirds of the membership of each house;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, that the following new proposed Joint Rule 13-1 be adopted to read:

          "LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING GUIDELINES (13-1)

The following redistricting guidelines shall be used by the appropriate legislative committees involved in the redistricting process to develop and evaluate redistricting plans:

A. Congressional districts shall be as equal in population as practicable.

B. State districts shall be substantially equal in population; no plans will be considered that include any proposed districts subject to legislative redistricting with a total population that deviates more than plus or minus five percent from the ideal.

C. The legislature shall use the federal decennial census data generated by the United States census bureau.

D. Because the precinct is the basic building block of a voting district in New Mexico, proposed redistricting plans to be considered by the legislature shall not be composed of districts that split precincts, unless required by federal law.

E. Plans must comport with the provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, and federal constitutional standards. Plans that dilute a protected minority's voting strength are unacceptable. Race may be considered in developing redistricting plans but shall not be the predominant consideration. Traditional race- neutral districting principles (as reflected in Subsection G of this rule) must not be subordinated to racial considerations.

F. All redistricting plans shall use only single-member districts.

G. Districts shall be drawn consistent with traditional districting principles. Districts shall be composed of contiguous precincts and shall be reasonably compact. To the extent feasible, districts shall be drawn in an attempt to preserve communities of interest and shall take into consideration political and geographic boundaries. In addition, the legislature may seek to preserve the core of existing districts and may consider the residence of incumbents.".

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