BOSCOLA REDISTRICTING
REFORM BILL
VOTED OUT OF COMMITTEE
BETHLEHEM (JUN 17) –
State Senator Lisa M.
Boscola’s legislation, Senate Bill 346,
that would overhaul the entire
redistricting process was voted
favorably out of the Senate State
Government Committee today.
“Lawmakers drawing their
own districts is a conflict of
interest,” Boscola said. “Under my
plan, no district would be mapped out in
favor of an incumbent legislator or
political party.”
Senate Bill 346 was introduced to
mandate that districts be drawn on
municipal boundaries and not political
or party affiliation. This proposal is
based on a model that is in use in the
State of Iowa. Senate Bill 346 will
amend the Constitution of Pennsylvania
to provide for a Legislative and
Congressional Reapportionment Bureau for
the purpose of redistricting.
“The redistricting system
in Pennsylvania needs to be changed to
replace politics with common sense,”
Boscola said. “That is why I will
continue to fight for proactive and
responsible redistricting reform for our
Commonwealth.”
The proposed Legislative
and Congressional Reapportionment Bureau
is a five member panel, whose members
cannot hold political or party office,
with a staff, classified as civil
service, consisting of a director and
employees as are necessary to carry out
the responsibilities of the
reapportionment and redistricting
process.
With the United States
Census approaching, Senator Boscola
stated that it is critical to act on the
legislation prior to the summer recess
of the General Assembly.
“The window of
opportunity is quickly closing, and we
as a state government must act to take
the politics out of the redistricting
process like they have in the state of
Iowa,” Boscola added. “The process
outlined in my bill is based on what has
been used in Iowa. All one has to do is
look at the legislative maps of Iowa to
see the process works.”
For additional
information regarding this legislation,
please feel free to contact one of
Senator Boscola’s offices in Bethlehem
610-868-8667, Stroudsburg 570-420-2938
or Whitehall 610-266-2117.
For more information
on the Iowa Process and the maps drawn
using their process:
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Central/LSB/Guides/redist.htm
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Redist/congress.pdf
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Redist/senate.pdf
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Redist/house.pdf
# # # |
