2023 Utah Code › Title 20A - Election Code › Chapter 20 - Utah Independent Redistricting Commission › Part 3 - Proceedings › Section 301 - Public hearings -- Private conversations.

Effective 5/28/2021
20A-20-301.
Public hearings -- Private conversations.
(1)
(a) The commission shall, by majority vote, determine the number, locations, and dates of public hearings to be held by the commission, but shall hold no fewer than seven public hearings throughout the state to discuss maps, as follows:
(i) one in the Bear River region, which includes Box Elder, Cache, and Rich counties;
(ii) one in the Southwest region, which includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington counties;
(iii) one in the Mountain region, which includes Summit, Utah, and Wasatch counties;
(iv) one in the Central region, which includes Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne counties;
(v) one in the Southeast region, which includes Carbon, Emery, Grand, and San Juan counties;
(vi) one in the Uintah Basin region, which includes Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah counties; and
(vii) one in the Wasatch Front region, which includes Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber counties.
(b) The commission shall hold at least two public hearings in a first or second class county but not in the same county.
(c) The committee and the commission may coordinate hearing times and locations to:
(i) avoid holding hearings at, or close to, the same time in the same area of the state; and
(ii) to the extent practical, hold hearings in different cities within the state.
(2) Each public hearing must provide those in attendance a reasonable opportunity to submit written and oral comments to the commission and to propose redistricting maps for the commission's consideration.
(3) The commission shall hold the public hearings described in Subsection (1), during the year following a decennial year, no later than:
(a) October 17, if the commission receives the linked PL94-171 data on or before September 1; or
(b) 46 days after the day on which the commission receives the linked PL94-171 data, if the commission receives the linked PL94-171 data after September 1.
(4)
(a) A member of the commission may not engage in any private communication with any individual other than other members of the commission or commission staff, including consultants retained by the commission, that is material to any redistricting map or element of a map pending before the commission or intended to be proposed for commission consideration, without making the communication, or a detailed and accurate description of the communication including the names of all parties to the communication and the map or element of the map, available to the commission and to the public.
(b) A member of the commission shall make the disclosure required by Subsection (4)(a) before the redistricting map or element of a map is considered by the commission.
(5) The committee chairs and the chair of the commission shall, no later than two business days after the day on which the Legislature appoints a committee, under Subsection 20A-20-201(3)(a)(ii), for a special redistricting, jointly agree on a schedule for the commission that:
(a) reasonably ensures that the commission may complete the commission's duties in a timely manner, consistent with the time frame applicable to the committee and the Legislature;
(b) establishes deadlines for the following:
(i) holding the public hearings described in Subsection (1);
(ii) preparing and recommending maps under Subsection 20A-20-302(2);
(iii) submitting the maps and written report described in Subsection 20A-20-303(1); and
(iv) holding the public meeting described in Subsection 20A-20-303(2); and
(c) provides that the commission dissolves upon approval of the Legislature's redistricting maps by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto, the date of veto override.
Amended by Chapter 5, 2021 Special Session 1