News Update I: Redistricting

State Rep. Steve Samuelson, who took a serious tilt at the redistricting windmill earlier this year, is back with another effort. I salute his efforts. State Rep. Babette Josephs is helping him draft this legislation. Details from "Democrats seek redistricting reforms," by John Micek, Morning Call 7/24:

The two lawmakers now are drafting a bill giving additional ''transparency'' to the redistricting process while imposing ''specific guidelines'' for the existing five-member Legislative Redistricting Commission to follow when it's drawing new districts. They hope to introduce it in September.

Proposed guidelines include making districts ''contiguous and compact'' and keeping counties and municipalities intact.

Regular readers may recall that Josephs co-sponsored Samuelson's previous bill and then wouldn't let it out of the committee she chairs.

It is too late to make any changes to the redistricting policy in time to affect the redistricting done for the 2010 census. What we are talking about here are, essentially, changes that won't make any difference until 2020.

Again, kudos to Samuelson for his continuing efforts. Unfortunately I've been writing about state politics long enough not to hold out a lot of hope.