117 HR 7948 IH: To require any entity established to develop congressional redistricting plans for a State to hold public hearings at which individuals who are members of communities of interest have a meaningful opportunity to express their views on proposed redistricting plans, and for other purposes. U.S. House of Representatives 2022-06-03 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I117th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 7948IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJune 3, 2022Mr. Torres of New York (for himself and Mr. Jeffries) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryA BILLTo require any entity established to develop congressional redistricting plans for a State to hold public hearings at which individuals who are members of communities of interest have a meaningful opportunity to express their views on proposed redistricting plans, and for other purposes.

1.

Requiring entities established to develop congressional redistricting plans to hold public hearings

(a)

Requirement

Any entity other than the legislature of a State, including an independent redistricting commission, a special master appointed by a Federal or State court, or a Federal or State court, which develops a congressional redistricting plan for a State shall—(1)hold multiple public hearings prior to the development of a final plan;(2)ensure that individuals may attend such hearings virtually;(3)hold such hearings in locations which are within a reasonable distance of the locations of communities of interest; and(4)ensure that members of communities of interest have meaningful opportunities to express their views on any of the entity’s plans. (b)

Treatment of political subdivisions as communities of interest

For purposes of this Act, the term communities of interest may, in certain circumstances, include political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, tribal lands and reservations, or school districts, but shall not include common relationships with political parties or political candidates.(c)

Enforcement

(1)

Action by Attorney General

The Attorney General may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court for such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to carry out this Act.(2)

Private right of action

A person who is aggrieved by a violation of this Act may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court for such declaratory or injunctive relief as may be appropriate with respect to the violation.(d)

Effective date

This Act shall apply with respect to redistricting carried out pursuant to the decennial census conducted during 2030 or any succeeding decennial census.