A Joint Resolution proposing integrated and distinct amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, repealing provisions relating to Legislative Reapportionment Commission and providing for Independent Redistricting Commission and for redistricting criteria.
HB31 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would replace Pennsylvania’s current Legislative Reapportionment Commission with a new Independent Redistricting Commission. The bill would require the commission to redraw both legislative and congressional districts after each federal decennial census, using a detailed public process that includes open meetings, public hearings, online map submission tools, published data, and extensive public comment opportunities. It also sets out a structured appointment process intended to reduce direct legislative control, with commissioners drawn from the two largest political parties and unaffiliated/minor-party voters, subject to eligibility restrictions and post-service cooling-off periods.
The proposal also establishes binding redistricting criteria that prioritize compliance with federal law and voting rights protections, prohibit partisan advantage and incumbent favoritism, and require respect for communities of interest, contiguity, compactness, and minimized county, municipal, and precinct splits. It includes special rules for counting incarcerated individuals at their last known residence for redistricting purposes, and it creates fallback procedures if the commission cannot agree on a final plan, including public ranking and elimination methods. Because it is a constitutional amendment, the measure would not itself change statutory law immediately, but would alter the state constitution and require voter approval before taking effect.
If adopted, HB31 would repeal the existing constitutional provisions governing Pennsylvania’s Legislative Reapportionment Commission and replace them with a new constitutional framework for an Independent Redistricting Commission. It would also add enforceable constitutional standards for congressional and legislative redistricting, including partisan fairness, voting rights compliance, community-of-interest protections, compactness, and limits on splitting counties, municipalities, and precincts. The measure would require the General Assembly and executive agencies to support the commission with funding, staffing, data, and public-access infrastructure, and it would direct the Department of Corrections and Department of Human Services to provide data needed to count incarcerated residents at their last known addresses for redistricting.
The bill’s overall framing suggests strong support for independent, transparent redistricting and for reducing partisan influence over map drawing. Its sponsor list is broad, indicating substantial backing among House Democrats, and the proposal is written in a reform-oriented style emphasizing public participation, disclosure, and anti-gerrymandering safeguards. No committee transcript or vote history was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee sentiment beyond the bill text itself.
The main points of contention are likely to be the shift of redistricting power away from elected legislative leaders, the partisan composition and selection mechanics of the new commission, and the constitutional requirement that maps not advantage any political party. The bill’s detailed restrictions on commissioner eligibility, communications, and post-service employment may also draw scrutiny from those concerned about practicality or overregulation. Additional likely debate centers on the incarcerated-person counting rule, the funding mandate, and whether the proposed criteria and public-process requirements are too rigid or instead necessary to prevent gerrymandering.