Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0494
House Amendment HA_B_H565 (House)

HOUSE AMENDMENT "~,, to H.P. 387, L.D. 494, "RESOLUTION, Pro~osing 
an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Change the Schedule for R~districting" 
Amend the resolution in that part designated "Constitution, Art. IV, Pt. Second, §2" 
by adding after Section 2 and before "; and be it further" the following: 
'Constitution, Art. IX is amended by adding after Section 23 the following: 
Section 24. Reapportionment. Congressional districts must be reapportioned as 
follows. 
1. Procedure. Beginning in 2021 and every 10 years thereafter, when the Secretary 
of State has received notification of the number of congressional seats to which the State 
is entitled and the Federal Decennial Census population count is final, the Legislative 
Apportionment Commission, established every 10 years pursuant to Article IV, Part 
Third, Section I-A, shall review the existing congressional districts. If the districts do not 
conform to Supreme Judicial Court guidelines, the commission shall reapportion the State 
into congressional districts. 
In making such a reapportionment, the commission shall ensure that each 
congressional district is formed of compact and contiguous territory and crosses political 
subdivisions the least number of times necessary to establish districts as equally 
populated as possible. The commission shall submit its plan to the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives no later than June 1 st of the year in which apportionment is required. 
The Legislature shall enact the submitted plan of the commission or a plan of its own in 
regular or special session by a vote of 2/3 of the members of each House by June 11 th of 
the year in which apportionment is required to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. 
This action is subject to the Governor's approval, as provided in Article IV, Part Third, 
Section 2. 
2. Court apportionment. If the Legislature fails to make an apportionment by June 
th, the Supreme Judicial Court shall make the apportionment within 60 days following 
the period in which the Legislature is required to act but fails to do so. In making the 
apportionment, the Supreme Judicial Court shall take into consideration plans and briefs .. 
filed by the public with the court during the first 30 days of the period in which the court 
is required to apportion. 
HOUSE AMENDMENT -
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HOUSE AMENDMENT ,13)" to H.P. 387, L.D. 494 
3. Judicial review. The Supreme Judicial Court has original jurisdiction to hear any 
challenge to an apportionment law enacted by the Legislature, as registered by any citizen 
or group of citizens. If a challenge is sustained, the Supreme Judicial Court shall make 
the apportionment. 
Section 25. 
Apportionment of county commissioner districts. 
County 
commissioner districts must be apportioned as follows. 
1. Redistricting. generally. Beginning in 2021 and every 10 years thereafter, the 
apportionment commission established under Article IV, Part Third, Section I-A shall 
review the existing county commissioner districts and, as necessary, reapportion those 
districts in each county to establish as nearly as practicable equally populated districts. 
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is responsible for calling the commission 
together to review the county commissioner districts. No action may be taken by the 
commission without a quorum of 7. 
A. The apportionment commission shall divide the number of commissioners in each 
county into the number of inhabitants of the county, excluding foreigners not 
naturalized, according to the latest Federal Decennial Census or a state census 
previously ordered by the Legislature to coincide with the Federal Decennial Census, 
to determine a mean population figure for each county commissioner district. Each 
county commissioner district must be formed of contiguous and compact territory and 
must cross political subdivision lines the least number of times necessary to establish 
as nearly as practicable equally populated districts. Whenever the population of a 
municipality entitles it to more than one district, all whole districts must be drawn 
within the municipal boundaries. Any population remainder within the municipality 
must be included in a district drawn to cross the municipal boundary as long as the 
population remainder within the municipality is contiguous to another municipality or 
municipalities included in the district. Any county that already meets the standards 
and guidelines for equally populated districts, as established by this section, this 
Constitution and the Constitution of the United States, need not be reapportioned. 
B. Interested parties from each county may submit redistricting plans for the 
commission to consider. Those plans must be submitted to the commission no later 
than 30 calendar days after the commission is called together by the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives under this subsection. The commission may hold public 
hearings on plans affecting each county. 
C. The commission shall submit its plan to the Clerk of the House of Representatives 
no later than June 1st of the year in which apportionment is required. The Clerk of the 
House of Representatives shall submit to the Legislature, no later than January 15, 
2022, and every 10th year thereafter, one legislative document to reapportion the 
county commissioner districts based on the plan submitted by the apportionment 
commission. The Legislature must enact the submitted plan or a plan of its own in 
regular or special session by a vote of 2/3 of the members of each House within 30 
calendar days after the plan is submitted to it by the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives. This action is subject to the Governor's approval, as provided in 
Article IV, Part Third, Section 2. 
2. Supreme Judicial Court. If the Legislature fails to make an apportionment within 
the 30 calendar days, the Supreme Judicial Court shall make the apportionment within 60 
HOUSE AMENDMENT 
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HOUSE AMENDMENT ,,6, to H.P. 387, L.D. 494 
calendar days following the period in which the Legislature is required to act but fails to 
do so. In making the apportionment, the Supreme Judicial Court shall consider plans and 
briefs filed by the public with the court during the first 30 days of the period in which the 
court is required to apportion.' 
Amend the resolution in the question in the 2nd line (page 2, line 40 in L.D.) by 
inserting after the following: "Legislature" the following: " congressional districts and 
county commissioner districts' 
SUMMARY 
SPONSOREDBY:~~~ __ ~~~-+~~~~ 
___ 
(Representative KESCHL) 
TOWN: Belgrade 
HOUSE AMENDMENT