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April 6, 2001

Redistricting process is underway!

The 2000 Census numbers have reached the Capitol. The long-awaited redistricting process is definitely underway. Political boundary maps for the Texas Senate, Texas House, Texas districts in the U.S. Congress, and the State Board of Education are being drawn in every legislative office.

Here's what the new population numbers indicate: The rural areas are in worse shape than expected. The suburbs are in better shape than expected. And the urban areas are both better and worse.

Based on the new Census, the optimum size for a Texas House district is 139,012. That's nearly 26,000 more people than in a current House district drawn 10 years ago. In real terms, there are 93 House districts with less than the optimum number of residents. There are nine districts that are actually below the optimum for 10 years ago.

In the Senate, the optimum size has grown to 672,639 from 547,952. There are 17 Senate seats with fewer than the perfect number in them. There are no districts below the optimum level from 1991.

The political reality is that rural Texas is going to lose as many as five seats in the Texas House. West Texas is likely to lose two seats. The East Texas delegation will probably be cut by two seats. Another seat could be lost in South Texas.

House Committee on Redistricting Chairman Rep. Delwin Jones of Lubbock has taken an interesting approach to the process. He has divided the state into seven pieces. Six parts are comprised of House members from each of the six largest counties in the state: Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis and El Paso. The seventh piece includes representatives from the other 248 counties.

By asking the House delegations from each of these populous counties to get together and draw their own political lines, Rep. Jones puts 72 districts into the hands of small work groups.

The remaining 78 districts will be open for debate for everyone else to fend for themselves.

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Conventional wisdom is that redistricting slows down the normal business of the Legislature. According to Harvey Kronberg's "Quorum Report," this session defies conventional wisdom.

As of the 60^th day of the session, committees in both the House and the Senate have held public hearings on substantially more bills this session than in any other session this past decade—and twice as many bills as during the last redistricting session in 1991.

The total number of bills filed in the House this session (3,624) is the second highest number filed during the last seven sessions and the total number of bills filed in the Senate (1,749) is the third highest number in the same period. There also has been an increase in the number of simple, concurrent and joint resolutions.

Kronberg says the leadership may be front-ending the process, clearing the decks to reduce redistricting hostage taking. If true, it represents a significant shift from previous sessions. Historically, most bills pass in the last two weeks of the Legislature. The quick start this time around probably means more of everything—more hearings, more bills, more debate—all crowded on top of redistricting.

House resolution aids agriculture

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a 10-year budget resolution that Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) said will set the course for predictable support to the agricultural community based on sound policy.

The budget allows for the reform of the commodity title of the current Freedom to Farm policy to give farmers needed predictability in farm income support, as opposed to continued ad hoc disaster assistance.

The budget also reserves funding in the current 2001 fiscal year in anticipation of lost income from high fuel and fertilizer costs and forecasts of continued depressed commodity prices.

Agriculture, as well as defense, is named in the budget plan as eligible for access to the $514 billion Strategic Reserve Fund from fiscal years 2002-2011.

By summer, the Agriculture Committee will present a long-range commodity program based on the consensus of farm groups' specific plans that will determine the budget needs recommended by the Agriculture Committee. Current crop year needs will be allocated from the fiscal year 2001 reserve fund of $90 billion.