| Legislative
Bulletin |
OCTOBER
31, 2001 |
 |
House
remains knotted over redistricting
as longest session drags into 10th month
Stymied
by the same factions that delayed adoption of a state budget,
the House continued struggling with redistricting after
laboring over the issue for more than a month. With no quick
agreement in sight on redrawing House districts based on 2000
census figures, and with the touchy issue of redrawing
congressional districts yet to be taken up, many observers
said they wouldn’t be surprised if the General Assembly
would still be in session at Thanksgiving. The Senate, which
already has adopted its redistricting plan, is meeting only
part time while the House tries to redraw its maps. All 50
senators and a few House members have stopped accepting their
$104 per diem money.
To review the proposed House redistricting map, click
here.
The major hold-up in the House over redistricting is
objections raised by five African-American Democrats who are
complaining that new maps proposed by the leadership dilute
black voting strength. The dissidents are a part of the same
group that held up the budget over higher sales taxes. The
House now has 14 districts with black majorities; the map
advanced by the Democratic leadership would reduce that number
to 12, along with 10 more districts where the population is at
least 40 percent black.
House Speaker Jim Black last week twice was forced to pull a
redistricting plan off the floor when it became apparent that
he didn’t have a majority. The legislature’s delay in
approving new districts is causing increasing concern that new
maps won’t be in place and approved by the U.S. Justice
Department by next January, when the filing period opens for
legislative and congressional races.
With little action occurring on redistricting and other final
issues before the General Assembly, NCCBI has been publishing
the Legislative Bulletin on an irregular, as-needed basis. We
anticipate continuing on that schedule but will alert members
promptly if any major developments occur.
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