Posted on 05/13/2003 9:49:08 PM PDT by fightinJAG
How the battle over redistricting began
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Q: Why are congressional districts an issue for the House?
A: By federal law, each state is required to redraw congressional boundaries after each census to keep each district with an equal number of residents.
Q: So didn't the Legislature do that already?
A: No. Lawmakers in 2001 couldn't agree on how to draw the congressional map.
Q: Does that mean it has to be done now?
A: No. By law, a federal court drew the map after lawmakers failed to. That map was used for the 2002 elections and produced a 17-15 Democratic majority in the state's 32-member congressional delegation.
Q: So why is it an issue?
A: Texas Republicans, who control the Legislature and all statewide offices, resent that Democrats control the congressional delegation. Some have said they must redraw the map, but Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott said that's not the case.
Q: Can the Republicans simply redraw the map on their own?
A: No. The House can't do anything without 100 of the 150 members in attendance. On Tuesday, there were 95 members there and 51 in Oklahoma. Four other Democrats remained unaccounted for.
Q: How long can this go on?
A: The House faces a crucial deadline Thursday night. It would take extraordinary steps to pass a redistricting plan after that.
All this, fueled by Republican resentment,nothing more. /sarcasm
Well a man come on the 6 o’clock news said somebody’s been shot, somebody’s been abused
Somebody blew up a building, somebody stole a car, somebody got away
Somebody didn’t get too far yeah they didn’t get too far.Grandpappy told my pappy, back in my day, son
A man had to answer for the wicked that he done take all the rope in Texas
Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys
Hang them high in the street for all the people to see that...Justice is the one thing you should always find, you got to saddle up your boys
You got to draw a hard line when the gun smoke settles we’ll sing a victory tune
We’ll all meet back at the local saloon
We’ll raise up our glasses against evil forces
Singing whiskey for my men, beer for my horses.
We got too many gangsters doing dirty deeds, we’ve got too much corruption, too much crime in the streets
It’s time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground
Send ’em all to their maker and he’ll settle ’em down
You can bet he’ll set ’em down ’cause...Justice is the one thing you should always find, you got to saddle up your boys
You got to draw a hard line when the gun smoke settles we’ll sing a victory tune
We’ll all meet back at the local saloon
We’ll raise up our glasses against evil forces
Singing whiskey for my men, beer for my horses.
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