MONROE - The Senate Committee of Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce and Government Operation scheduled a vote on the Republican proposed redistricting plan for noon today. But one area lawmaker is calling the plan "unconstitutional," along with other Democrats.
Senate Bill 150, introduced July 11 by the Senate Organization Committee, chaired by Senator Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, shortens the maximum time for city and county redistricting plan maps to be finalized after the U.S. Bureau of the Census decennial population count become available.
Currently, the laws governing the three-step process allow 60 days for each step. The new bill would reduce that time to 45 days and apply the changes retroactively.
Andrew Welhouse, spokesman for Fitzgerald, said advancements in technology makes the mapping process quicker than in years past, when local municipalities had to use "wall maps and colored pencils" to refit district maps to census numbers.
Nationwide, the redistricting process is coming through the state legislatures earlier than usual, he added.
Judy Robson, a former Democrat Senate leader from Beloit, and 13 others have filed a federal lawsuit asking a three-judge panel to draw non-partisan boundaries according to current Wisconsin law, as they have been for the past 30 years.
Welhouse said the new redistricting map was carefully drawn to stand up in court, based on the three standards used by the U.S. Supreme Court in previous cases.
"The map is constitutional; the districts are compact, contiguous and proportional; and it is sensitive to minority segments of the populations," Welhouse said.
Ringhand opposes The Republican plan
Janis Ringhand, D-Evansville, representing Green County in the 80th District Assembly, said the Republican's Assembly and Senate redistricting map came as a "total surprise."
The Republicans are "jumping ahead" of the process, she said, after county and municipalities have been actively working to get their redistricting plans done under the current laws.
"That time and effort is all wasted," she added.
Wendy Tschudy, deputy clerk for Green County, agrees.
"Republicans are going out of turn," she said.
Tschudy, along with County Clerk Mike Doyle, were challenged with drawing a new map for the county, which saw a population increase of about 9.5 percent, most of which settled in the north and northeast areas. From proposed state maps she has seen, Tschudy believes some new state lines may be based on old boundary lines, particularly in northeastern Mt. Pleasant township.
"Once adopted as proposed, the state wants to force us to move our lines. We have four months invested," she said.
"In addition to passing their plan, they also have to pass legislation to do this. They are not following the law," she added.
Green County's plan
The Green County Board is poised to adopt its new plan, according to schedule, in August. The state, Tschudy, said, is supposed to make its district lines, based on the county's map, after September.
According to Ringhand, Green County has not been divided in state districts for about 40 years.
"Now, it would be in three new parts, and to the extreme - with three Assembly districts and three Senate," Ringhand said.
Ringhand said she did not like to see a county with a small population, like Green County with about 36,000 people, "fractured" into so many pieces "for no good reason."
"I hate to see this happen" she said. "I liked my district and got to know the people and won their support."
Ringhand has co-signed the Redistricting Reform Bill, AB198, which places the redistricting process into the hands of the independent, non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau and Government Accountability Board. The bill was introduced July 7.
The new division lines place her hometown outside the 80th District, and into the 45 District, which includes the southeast Green County. Ringhand would continue until January 2013 to represent all the people who elected her.
Under the new map, the 51st Assembly District, represented by Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, would include all of Lafayette County and the southwest quarter of Green County.
"I will work hard for whatever people I represent," he said, about gaining a portion of Green County. "I have a soft spot in my heart for Monroe."
Marklein Reacts to proposals
Marklein says Green County has been lucky to remain whole through redistricting processes for so many years. Richland County, he pointed out, currently has four Assembly and two Senate districts.
New mapping places them in three Assembly districts, giving Marklein slightly more in his district, and one Senate district.
"(U. S.) Congressional districts have to be almost perfect," he said, "and those are based on pure numbers. The Federal standards are incredible."
Eight states already have plans approved and signed into law, including Iowa, Illinois and Indiana; and Michigan's plan is waiting in state legislatures for preclearance, the step prior to approval, according to information from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, which is following the process.
Senate Bill 150, introduced July 11 by the Senate Organization Committee, chaired by Senator Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, shortens the maximum time for city and county redistricting plan maps to be finalized after the U.S. Bureau of the Census decennial population count become available.
Currently, the laws governing the three-step process allow 60 days for each step. The new bill would reduce that time to 45 days and apply the changes retroactively.
Andrew Welhouse, spokesman for Fitzgerald, said advancements in technology makes the mapping process quicker than in years past, when local municipalities had to use "wall maps and colored pencils" to refit district maps to census numbers.
Nationwide, the redistricting process is coming through the state legislatures earlier than usual, he added.
Judy Robson, a former Democrat Senate leader from Beloit, and 13 others have filed a federal lawsuit asking a three-judge panel to draw non-partisan boundaries according to current Wisconsin law, as they have been for the past 30 years.
Welhouse said the new redistricting map was carefully drawn to stand up in court, based on the three standards used by the U.S. Supreme Court in previous cases.
"The map is constitutional; the districts are compact, contiguous and proportional; and it is sensitive to minority segments of the populations," Welhouse said.
Ringhand opposes The Republican plan
Janis Ringhand, D-Evansville, representing Green County in the 80th District Assembly, said the Republican's Assembly and Senate redistricting map came as a "total surprise."
The Republicans are "jumping ahead" of the process, she said, after county and municipalities have been actively working to get their redistricting plans done under the current laws.
"That time and effort is all wasted," she added.
Wendy Tschudy, deputy clerk for Green County, agrees.
"Republicans are going out of turn," she said.
Tschudy, along with County Clerk Mike Doyle, were challenged with drawing a new map for the county, which saw a population increase of about 9.5 percent, most of which settled in the north and northeast areas. From proposed state maps she has seen, Tschudy believes some new state lines may be based on old boundary lines, particularly in northeastern Mt. Pleasant township.
"Once adopted as proposed, the state wants to force us to move our lines. We have four months invested," she said.
"In addition to passing their plan, they also have to pass legislation to do this. They are not following the law," she added.
Green County's plan
The Green County Board is poised to adopt its new plan, according to schedule, in August. The state, Tschudy, said, is supposed to make its district lines, based on the county's map, after September.
According to Ringhand, Green County has not been divided in state districts for about 40 years.
"Now, it would be in three new parts, and to the extreme - with three Assembly districts and three Senate," Ringhand said.
Ringhand said she did not like to see a county with a small population, like Green County with about 36,000 people, "fractured" into so many pieces "for no good reason."
"I hate to see this happen" she said. "I liked my district and got to know the people and won their support."
Ringhand has co-signed the Redistricting Reform Bill, AB198, which places the redistricting process into the hands of the independent, non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau and Government Accountability Board. The bill was introduced July 7.
The new division lines place her hometown outside the 80th District, and into the 45 District, which includes the southeast Green County. Ringhand would continue until January 2013 to represent all the people who elected her.
Under the new map, the 51st Assembly District, represented by Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, would include all of Lafayette County and the southwest quarter of Green County.
"I will work hard for whatever people I represent," he said, about gaining a portion of Green County. "I have a soft spot in my heart for Monroe."
Marklein Reacts to proposals
Marklein says Green County has been lucky to remain whole through redistricting processes for so many years. Richland County, he pointed out, currently has four Assembly and two Senate districts.
New mapping places them in three Assembly districts, giving Marklein slightly more in his district, and one Senate district.
"(U. S.) Congressional districts have to be almost perfect," he said, "and those are based on pure numbers. The Federal standards are incredible."
Eight states already have plans approved and signed into law, including Iowa, Illinois and Indiana; and Michigan's plan is waiting in state legislatures for preclearance, the step prior to approval, according to information from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, which is following the process.