[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7252 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7252

  To direct the Attorney General to enter into an agreement with the 
   National Academies to conduct a study to develop guidelines, best 
        practices, and examples for congressional redistricting.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2018

 Mr. McNerney introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Attorney General to enter into an agreement with the 
   National Academies to conduct a study to develop guidelines, best 
        practices, and examples for congressional redistricting.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fair And Inclusive Redistricting Map 
Act'' or the ``FAIR Map Act''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAP STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall enter into an 
agreement with the National Academies under which the National 
Academies shall conduct a study to--
            (1) develop guidelines, best practices, and examples 
        consistent with the criteria in subsection (b) to aid States in 
        drawing congressional district maps; and
            (2) define metrics and limitations to such metrics for 
        geographic contiguity, compactness, and maintaining partisan 
        symmetry.
    (b) Map Criteria.--
            (1) Primary criteria.--The guidelines, best practices, and 
        examples developed under subsection (a) shall--
                    (A) comply with the Constitution of the United 
                States, including the requirement of equal population;
                    (B) comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 
                U.S.C. 10301 et seq.); and
                    (C) maintain geographic contiguity and compactness.
            (2) Secondary criteria.--To the extent practicable, the 
        guidelines, best practices, and examples developed under 
        subsection (a) shall--
                    (A) respect natural and existing political 
                boundaries;
                    (B) respect communities of interest; and
                    (C) maintain partisan symmetry.
    (c) Completion of Study.--The Study required under subsection (a) 
shall be completed at the later of--
            (1) January 1, 2021; or
            (2) the date that is 1 year after the date of the agreement 
        in subsection (a).
    (d) Report.--After the completion of the study, the Attorney 
General shall submit to Congress and make publicly available the 
results of the study described in subsection (a).

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
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