[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13104]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   LET THE PEOPLE DRAW THE LINES ACT

  (Mr. LOWENTHAL asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I come to the House floor today to 
introduce my first bill as a Member of Congress. It's Let the People 
Draw the Lines Act, or H.R. 2978.
  My bill does exactly what that title says: it lets people, not 
politicians, draw the district lines for the United States House of 
Representatives. My bill empowers the States to create independent 
redistricting commissions, much like we have in my home State of 
California.
  The Let the People Draw the Lines Act will remove redistricting from 
the political process. It will provide clear and uniform redistricting 
criteria that give all communities a fair and equal voice in the 
political process. This entire process will be transparent and open to 
the public, the way it should be.
  If my bill becomes law, Mr. Speaker, political gerrymandering will 
finally become a closed chapter in our Nation's journey towards a more 
perfect democracy.
  Let the people draw the lines, Mr. Speaker. America deserves true 
representation.

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