Reapportionment applies only to the U.S. House of Representatives. It is the process of allocating the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states based on each state' s population as determined by the most recent federal census. Therefore, reapportionment occurs once every 10 years after the census.
II. What is redistricting?
Redistricting is the process of redrawing the boundary lines of the districts from which public officials are elected.
II. Who does redistricting?
The Constitution of Louisiana provides that the legislature is responsible for redistricting. The legislature redraws district boundaries for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Louisiana Supreme Court and other courts, the Public Service Commission (PSC), and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).
The Louisiana House of Representatives has delegated the responsibility for initial plan development to the House & Governmental Affairs Committee.
III. How is redistricting done?
Redistricting plans, like other legislation, are passed by the Legislature in bills. These bills are introduced and heard in committees before being considered by the entire body on the House and Senate floors. Once both houses of the Legislature finally pass a redistricting bill, that bill, as is true for all bills, is subject to the Governor's approval or veto (See ' How a Bill Becomes Law' ). In Louisiana, newly drawn election districts cannot be implemented until the plans are approved by the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Once a districting plan is approved by the Justice Department or court, it will generally remain in effect until the next round of redistricting following the next federal census.
IV. What is the time-line?
The Constitution of Louisiana mandates that legislative districts be redrawn by December 31, 2011. However, because legislative elections take place in the fall of 2011, the real deadline will be earlier. To meet the statutory preclearance submission deadline, legislative districts must be enacted and precleared by August 29, 2011. The same is true for BESE. For Congress, the PSC, and the Supreme Court, whose elections will take place in the summer and fall of 2012, the plans for those districts must be enacted and precleared by June27, 2012.
Follow this link for the time line for the House of Representatives' redistricting work.
V. How do I obtain copies of statistics, maps, committee notices, and other information?
Our redistricting home page contains a wealth of information, much of which may be downloaded or printed directly from the page [follow this link to our Redistricting Home Page]. More detailed information concerning population may be obtained from the Census Bureau' s website, from the Louisiana State Census Data Center' s website, or from the Louisiana House of Representatives through a public records request. Please note, there will be a charge associated with any document or map procured from the House of Representatives.
Electronic notification of ALL Legislative committee meetings may be obtained using the following
link.
To learn more about redistricting in general, visit the website of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
To learn more about the Legislative Process, visit the home page of the Louisiana Legislature
VI. How do I make my voice heard?
There are two primary methods for voicing your opinion: (1) attending public hearings and expressing your concerns and (2) contacting your representative.
When speaking at a public meeting, it is advisable to be as brief in your presentation as is possible, present your points in a concise manner, and be specific about what it is you want or expect. When communicating with your representative, it is advisable to reduce your presentation to writing and ensure that your representative has a copy.
In the near future this link will allow you to access the schedule of the public hearings of the House & Governmental Affairs Committee. Please check back to this page often.
VII. Who is my current representative?
The current membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives by name or district number (which is printed on your voter registration card) is available
here.
An address-based search is available
here.
VIII. How do I contact the House and Governmental Affairs Committee?
The mailing address for the committee is:
House & Governmental Affairs Committee
P. O. Box 44486 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-4486
Phone: 225-342-2403. Fax: 225-342-0768.
Follow this link to contact the committee by email, or send an e-mail directly to Redistricting
2020.