Apr
27
Written by:
William Lutz
4/27/2011 10:58 PM
Two major revisions of the map got adopted. First, the West Texas delegation agreed on an alternative map by Rep. John Smithee (R-Amarillo). The Smithee map removes the previous pairing between Reps. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) and Jim Landtroop (R-Plainview). The pairing was alleviated by returning Wise County to Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) and eliminating the open seat drawn around it. Instead of a pairing with Perry, Landtroop is paired with Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa), who has announced plans to run for the Texas Railroad Commission. The mail removes the pairing between Chisum and Rep. Rick Hardcastle (R-Vernon). The plan is H154
The second amendment was a Harris County compromise proposed by Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston). The House paused this evening for several hours while Houston-area legislators negotiated. The compromise makes minor changes to some Houston-area districts, and Coleman verified that changes to his district are not retrogressive, despite a slight reduction in the African-American voting-age population. The Coleman amendment was acceptable. The Coleman amendment is Plan H271.
The House made a few minor adjustments to other districts, but in general, the House Redistricting Committee’s map remained intact. The only major revisions adopted are the two mentioned above.
The House is now considering statewide substitutes.