AB56,94,5 CHAPTER 4

AB56,94,6 subchapter i

AB56,94,8 general provisions and redistricting

AB56,94,9 4.001 Definitions. In this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:

AB56,94,10 (1) “Block" has the meaning given in s. 5.02 (1q).

AB56,94,12 (2) “Commission" means the redistricting advisory commission established under s. 13.49.

AB56,94,14 (3) “Plan" means a plan for legislative and congressional reapportionment prepared under this subchapter.

AB56,94,16 (4) “Political subdivision" means a city, town, village, or county within this state.

AB56,94,17 (5) “Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act" means 52 USC 10301.

AB56,94,20 (6) “Ward" means a municipal ward in effect on April 1 of the year of the federal decennial census and used in preparing congressional and legislative redistricting plans as required under s. 4.005.

AB56,94,23 4.002 Political subdivision boundaries. In this chapter, reference to any political subdivision means that political subdivision as its boundaries exist on April 1 of the year of the federal decennial census.

AB56,95,2 4.003 Legislative districts established. This state is divided into 33 senate districts, each composed of 3 assembly districts. Each senate district may elect one member of the senate. Each assembly district may elect one representative to the assembly.

AB56,95,6 4.004 Preparations for redistricting. (1) The legislative reference bureau shall acquire appropriate information, review and evaluate available facilities, and develop programs and procedures in preparation for drawing congressional and legislative redistricting plans on the basis of each federal decennial census.

AB56,95,11 (2) By December 1 of the year of the decennial federal census, the legislative reference bureau shall obtain from the U.S. bureau of the census information regarding geographic and political units in this state for which federal census population data has been gathered and will be tabulated. The legislative reference bureau shall use the information to do all of the following:

AB56,95,14 (a) Prepare necessary descriptions of geographic and political units for which census data will be reported and that are suitable for use as components of legislative districts.

AB56,95,17 (b) Prepare maps of geographic and political units within the state which may be used to illustrate the locations of district boundaries proposed in plans prepared in accordance with s. 4.007.

AB56,96,2 (3) As soon as possible after receiving from the U.S. bureau of the census the population data needed for legislative redistricting that the U.S. bureau of the census is required to provide this state under P.L. 94-171, the legislative reference bureau shall use that data to assign a population figure based upon certified federal census data to each geographic or political unit described under sub. (2) (b). The legislative reference bureau shall prepare and publish an analysis describing the population of current legislative and congressional districts and the extent to which the districts may violate the standards under s. 4.007. Upon satisfying these requirements, the legislative reference bureau shall begin the preparation of congressional and legislative redistricting plans as required under s. 4.006.

AB56,96,6 (4) None of the 4 selecting authorities, as defined in s. 13.49 (1) (b), may assign or hire any person to work with the legislative reference bureau to prepare for redistricting under this section, to prepare plans under s. 4.006, or to oversee either process.

AB56,96,13 4.005 Use of municipal ward plans. After receipt of a division ordinance or resolution under s. 5.15 (4) (b), the legislative reference bureau shall use the data obtained from the U.S. bureau of the census under s. 4.004 (3) to assign a population figure based upon certified federal census data to each ward established in the division ordinance or resolution. The legislative reference bureau shall use each ward to which a population figure is assigned in preparing congressional and legislative redistricting plans as required under s. 4.006.

AB56,96,23 4.006 Preparation of redistricting plans. (1) Not later than January 1 of the 2nd year following the decennial federal census, the legislative reference bureau shall deliver to the majority leader of the senate and speaker of the assembly identical bills creating plans of legislative and congressional redistricting, prepared in accordance with s. 4.007. Either the assembly or the senate shall bring the bill to a vote expeditiously, but not less than 7 days after the commission report under s. 13.49 (3) (d) 2. is received and made available to the members of the legislature. The vote shall be under a procedure or rule permitting no amendments. If the bill is approved by the first house in which it is considered, the bill shall expeditiously be brought to a vote in the 2nd house under a similar procedure or rule.

AB56,97,13 (2) If neither of the bills delivered by the legislative reference bureau under sub. (1) is approved by both the assembly and the senate, the chief clerk of the house that failed to approve the bill shall immediately transmit to the legislative reference bureau information that the house may direct regarding reasons why the plan was not approved. The legislative reference bureau shall prepare identical bills embodying a 2nd plan of legislative and congressional redistricting prepared in accordance with s. 4.007, taking into account the reasons transmitted to the legislative reference bureau under this subsection insofar as it is possible to do so within the requirements of s. 4.007. The legislative reference bureau shall deliver the bills to the majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the assembly no later than 21 days after the date of the vote by which the senate or the assembly failed to approve the bill submitted under sub. (1). Any bill delivered by the legislative reference bureau under this subsection shall be expeditiously introduced and brought to a vote not less than 7 days after the date of introduction, in the same manner as prescribed for the bill required under sub. (1).

AB56,97,25 (3) If neither of the bills delivered by the legislative reference bureau under sub. (2) is approved by both the assembly and the senate, the same procedure as prescribed by sub. (2) shall be followed. If a 3rd plan is required under this subsection, the legislative reference bureau shall deliver the bills to the majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the assembly no later than 21 days after the date of the vote by which the senate or the assembly failed to approve the bill submitted under sub. (2). Any bill delivered by the legislative reference bureau under this subsection shall be expeditiously introduced and brought to a vote not less than 7 days after the date of introduction and shall be subject to amendment in the same manner as other bills. Any bill delivered under this subsection, and any amendment to such a bill, may be passed only with the approval of three-fourths of all the members elected in each house.

AB56,98,1 (4) Notwithstanding subs. (1) to (3):

AB56,98,11 (a) If certified federal census data that is sufficient to permit preparation of a congressional redistricting plan becomes available at an earlier time than the population data needed to permit preparation of a legislative redistricting plan in accordance with s. 4.007, the legislative reference bureau shall so inform the majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the assembly. If the majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the assembly jointly direct, the legislative reference bureau shall prepare a separate bill establishing congressional districts and deliver it separately from the bill establishing legislative districts. The legislature shall proceed to consider the congressional redistricting bill in substantially the manner prescribed by subs. (1) to (3).

AB56,98,21 (b) If the population data for legislative redistricting that the U.S. bureau of the census is required to provide this state under P.L. 94-171 and, if used by the legislative reference bureau, the corresponding topologically integrated geographic encoding and referencing data file for that population data are not available to the legislative reference bureau on or before April 1 of the first year following the decennial federal census, the deadlines set forth in this section shall be extended by a number of days equal to the number of days after April 1 of the first year following the decennial federal census that the population data and the topologically integrated geographic encoding and referencing data file for legislative redistricting become available.

AB56,98,25 4.007 Redistricting standards. (1) Legislative and congressional districts shall be established on the basis of population requirements imposed under the Wisconsin Constitution and the U.S. Constitution and requirements imposed under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

AB56,99,12 (2) Senate and assembly districts, respectively, shall satisfy the population standards established in this subsection. The quotient, obtained by dividing the sum of the absolute values of the deviations of all district populations from the applicable ideal district population by the number of districts established, may not exceed 1 percent of the applicable ideal district population, unless necessary to maintain compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. For purposes of this subsection, the ideal district population is determined by dividing the population of the state reported in the most recent federal decennial census by the number of districts to be established. No senate district may have a population that exceeds that of any other senate district by more than 10 percent and no assembly district may have a population that exceeds that of any other assembly district by more than 10 percent, unless necessary to maintain compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

AB56,99,18 (3) Congressional districts shall each have a population as nearly equal as practicable to the ideal district population, derived as prescribed in sub. (2), while maintaining compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. No congressional district may have a population which varies by more than 1 percent from the applicable ideal district population, unless necessary to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

AB56,99,24 (4) District boundaries shall coincide with ward boundaries and, to the extent consistent with sub. (1), shall coincide with the boundaries of political subdivisions. The number of political subdivisions divided among more than one district shall be as small as possible. When there is a choice among political subdivisions to divide, the more populous political subdivisions shall be divided before the less populous, except that this requirement does not apply to a legislative district boundary drawn along a county boundary which passes through a city with territory in more than one county.