House File 2538 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2538 BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2215) A BILL FOR An Act relating to legislative and congressional redistricting 1 concerning the duties of the temporary redistricting 2 advisory commission. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5343HV (2) 89 ec/rn

H.F. 2538 Section 1. Section 42.3, subsection 2, Code 2022, is amended 1 to read as follows: 2 2. If the bill embodying the plan submitted by the 3 legislative services agency under subsection 1 fails to be 4 enacted, the legislative services agency shall prepare a bill 5 embodying a second plan of legislative and congressional 6 districting. The bill shall be prepared in accordance with 7 section 42.4 , and, insofar as it is possible to do so within 8 the requirements of section 42.4 , with the reasons cited by 9 the senate or house of representatives by resolution, or the 10 governor by veto message, for the failure to approve the plan. 11 If a second plan is required under this subsection , the bill 12 embodying it shall be delivered to the secretary of the senate 13 and the chief clerk of the house of representatives not later 14 than thirty-five days after the date of the vote by which the 15 senate or the house of representatives fails to approve the 16 bill submitted under subsection 1 , or the date the governor 17 vetoes or fails to approve the bill. If it is necessary to 18 submit a bill under this subsection , the bill shall be brought 19 to a vote not less than seven days after the bill is submitted 20 three days after the report of the commission required by 21 section 42.6 is received and made available to the members of 22 the general assembly, under a procedure or rule permitting no 23 amendments except those of a purely corrective nature. It 24 is further the intent of this chapter that if the bill is 25 approved by the first house in which it is considered, it 26 shall expeditiously be brought to a vote in the second house 27 under a similar procedure or rule. If the bill embodying the 28 plan submitted by the legislative services agency under this 29 subsection fails to be approved by a constitutional majority 30 in either the senate or the house of representatives, the 31 secretary of the senate or the chief clerk of the house, as the 32 case may be, shall transmit to the legislative services agency 33 in the same manner as described in subsection 1 , information 34 which the senate or house may direct by resolution regarding 35 -1- LSB 5343HV (2) 89 ec/rn 1/ 3

H.F. 2538 reasons why the plan was not approved. 1 Sec. 2. Section 42.6, subsection 3, Code 2022, is amended 2 to read as follows: 3 3. Upon the delivery by the legislative services agency to 4 the general assembly of a bill embodying an initial a plan of 5 congressional and legislative redistricting , as required by 6 section 42.3, subsection 1 , the commission shall: 7 a. As expeditiously as reasonably possible, allow public 8 comment and schedule and conduct at least three public 9 hearings , in a manner that allows participation by Iowans from 10 different geographic regions of the state, on the plan embodied 11 in the bill delivered by the legislative services agency to the 12 general assembly. The commission shall schedule and conduct at 13 least three public hearings on an initial plan of congressional 14 and legislative redistricting, and shall schedule and conduct 15 at least one public hearing on a second or third plan of 16 congressional and legislative redistricting, if applicable. 17 b. Following the hearings, promptly prepare and submit to 18 the secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of the house a 19 report summarizing information and testimony received by the 20 commission in the course of the hearings. The commission’s 21 report shall include any comments and conclusions which its 22 members deem appropriate on the information and testimony 23 received at the hearings, or otherwise presented to the 24 commission. The report shall be submitted no later than 25 fourteen days after the date the bill embodying an initial 26 a plan of congressional and legislative redistricting is 27 delivered to the general assembly. 28 EXPLANATION 29 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 30 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 31 This bill concerns the duties of the temporary redistricting 32 advisory commission following the delivery of a plan of 33 legislative and congressional redistricting to the general 34 assembly by the legislative services agency. Under current 35 -2- LSB 5343HV (2) 89 ec/rn 2/ 3

H.F. 2538 law, the commission is only required to conduct three public 1 hearings and issue a report following submission of the initial 2 plan of redistricting by the legislative services agency. The 3 bill requires the commission to conduct at least one public 4 hearing and issue a report following submission of a second or 5 third plan, if necessary, by the legislative services agency. 6 The bill requires the commission to allow public comment as 7 part of the public hearing process and provides that the public 8 hearings be conducted in a manner that allows for participation 9 by Iowans from different geographic regions of the state. 10 The bill requires that a vote on a second or third plan of 11 redistricting must take place no less than three days after the 12 report of the commission is submitted to the general assembly 13 for that plan. 14 -3- LSB 5343HV (2) 89 ec/rn 3/ 3