HARRISBURG, February 8, 2018 – State Sen. Lisa M. Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh) is praising the Ohio legislature for reaching a bipartisan compromise on a statewide referendum that would allow Ohio voters to decide whether to overhaul how their state’s congressional districts are drawn.

In May, Ohio voters will vote on a proposed amendment to their state’s constitution that would require bipartisan support in the state House and Senate on Congressional maps.  The procedure in Ohio would require three-fifths support in the state House and Senate, including at least half the members of the minority party. Boscola provided the following comment:

“This is just another example of how other states are fixing the way congressional lines are drawn. It is clear that we need to also fix this process in Pennsylvania. Our voters deserve it.

“The recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court made it clear that partisanship played an oversized role in the 2011 redistricting process.  I am the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 22, which would create an independent commission to draw district boundaries.  Ohio has offered a hybrid where the legislature gets the first opportunity to draft a bipartisan map. If it is incapable of getting a super majority that includes half of the minority party, the process goes to an independent commission.

“In an effort to provide another legislative alternative for drawing our congressional and state legislative maps, I am circulating a co-sponsorship memo for legislation that would amend our constitution in a similar fashion as Ohio’s proposal combined with the creation of an independent commission to draw lines for the General Assembly. Our voters need to be confident that our maps are drawn fairly.”

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