Senate Week in Review: Gerrymandering reform hearing scheduled
SPRINGFIELD,
Ill.
– A hearing on gerrymandering reform that had been delayed twice before, is
finally set to be held July 29, in
Chicago.
Gerrymandering is the practice of
drawing legislative district boundaries to give an advantage to a particular
candidate or party.
Illinois
has been sharply criticized for its system of drawing state legislative and
congressional district boundaries because it allows politicians to pick their
voters, rather than allowing the voters to pick their representatives.
The hearing, initially set for July 15, was
first pushed back to July 22, before finally being posted for the 29th.
Reforming the state’s system of drawing
legislative district boundaries is essential to address the excessive
partisanship and lack of accountability that has plagued
Illinois state government. Many reform
proponents fear that by consistently pushing back redistricting hearings,
legislative leaders who benefit from partisan gerrymandering are purposely
undermining genuine reform efforts. Proponents of redistricting reform argue
that restoring accountability to
Illinois
government must begin with the most basic function of democracy – elections.
And, to assure fair and competitive elections it is vital to take the politics
out of drawing legislative and congressional districts.
It is unknown whether these delays will
impact other redistricting hearings, which were originally scheduled to take
place in
Peoria in August,
Carbondale
in September and
Springfield
in October.
The term “gerrymandering” come from
combining salamander and the name of Elbridge Gerry, the governor of
Massachusetts from 1810
to 1812. In 1812, Gerry signed into law a redistricting plan that was designed
to benefit his political party. The term was first used in the Boston Gazette
of March 26, 1812 to describe a district that the newspaper likened to the
shape of a salamander. The newspaper referred to the district as a
"Gerry"-mander.
Legislation recently signed into law
includes:
Funeral Homes (HB 1353/PA 96-0048): Allows the
Secretary of DFPR to suspend the funeral home licenses of facilities that pose
an imminent danger to the public.
Internet
Gaming (HB 617/PA 96-0047): Specifies ways that consumers who utilize an Internet
game service can easily cancel that service online.
North
Shore Sanitary District (HB 2409/PA 96-0049): Reduces North Shore Sanitary
District competitive bidding and contracting requirements to allow the District
to more promptly award contracts for repairs needed to maintain compliance with
the NPDES permit.
