State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs-Senate

Legends on all this through the process Senator English I believe we have an amendment to Senate bill seven four three. I would welcome you to. President the amendment and then if there's any questions members can ask questions about it you're recognized thank you senator Jane English district thirty four and we have an amendment to Senate bill seven forty three which adds three precincts. To our regional map. It adds three precincts M. J. also changes Lincoln County back in the first I believe for. Lincoln County in four G.. The whole gamut it is Senator Garner that was actually in the regional manager for the map got messed up last night none is true just so you know. We didn't just bring it on you yeah. You're always the issue with a map not being right this morning. correct and anyway. That is the amendment. Members of do you have quit in the deviations you want state the deviations which harm the major injections your state what they are ahead thanks to members have been given a copy of this and I don't know if it's in your in your not that it is on the map each of the pages but the deviation on the first now's been Rizzuto reduced to negative point zero five that's three hundred seventy two persons District two negative point zero two that is one hundred seventy one persons district three point zero four that's three hundred and thirty eight persons and District four point zero three and two hundred five persons and so that meets the standard that everybody talked about earlier in the meeting the members do you have questions on that I have a few. Senator Garner so this morning's maps that did not include a whole different County you're saying that was a mistake and the announcmenet we had this morning were incorrect our was a mess we had this morning correct based on the numbers which are just in when you County in there no Lincoln County was supposed to be in there just didn't get drawn in. Senator Garner yesterday when when at least a vice chair of the House Committee and I were in the room we both noted that it. Thank you for your early hi Lincoln was missing from the map that we all thought was there and so to be clear though the map you drew this morning that were amended and did have like a county in the fourth. Sekarang ACT yeah okay and what precincts are you changing now Sebastian was the changes in the population number what's the difference for the change in Pulaski County. I don't know I just know that in that to counties I mean two precincts and. Senator County yes you can't say you don't know. I don't have that information how do not have the information on the map that were about to be voted to within a member we just got whenever shifts parts of these counties. That we came back on to do. I just don't have those population numbers. I'm sure that the bureau be glad to get them for us. Centers you have the amendment here before you which has got all of the deletions in the changes. you have the map from this morning which showed you population deviations. what I have been told is the precinct that you mentioned which counties a classy council Pulaski County does that count as a rent so there were some changes also to Sebastian from morning. Can you or someone articulate what those changes or and can. R. O.. Well. We sent. You were there I think in part I'm asking to explain what what so it's two precincts there to present the north Lasky County that the because of those precincts not be included because of a split two two Jacksonville answer would those precincts were moved back into the second and then down in order to to make up a little bit of a difference down on the south well it's also south east Pulaski County there was another precinct that was added effective the precinct was taken out down there and then another precinct that was added south of I. thirty in order to try to get the margins right and and so what we lost out of the first by moving Jackson to answer with making it whole what's the difference in Lincoln County going back into the first then over on the on on the in the third in Sebastian County there was a one house member that wanted to try to have all all of Greenwood is not a sales for the a map anyway the one all agreeing with city or school district in the third and so part of the effort to try to make it the precincts margins better is to move a precinct into the third that included the school district precinct out of author. And in doing so we got the margins that you see which is really the concerning the map Harlan the only thing was changed which the Senator down there in that area is very happy to have we can in the first where where was where everyone kind of thought it was until something changed on that. Question what. Senator English did you have something to say no question he has questions regarding you're recognized I'll just say this is an amazing very small minor changes contendere to the map that added a whole county from one district to another. With. Well I've spoken to that senator garner. From from yesterday and I'm not been excited about some of the changes over the last forty eight hours myself but we're we are is where we are. So members you have any other questions for Senator English Senator Tucker you're you're recognized. So just keeping this to the amendment for now. On the first page the man I'm trying to figure out exactly which precincts in plaster county are in the first of the fourth congressional districts and and Senator Ballinger may be able to answer this as well but. On the first page of the amendment. Where it says Page two delete lines three through seven and and substitute the following those increasing numbers fifty four fifty five. And then the another place in the bill. Creasing forty seven is included so my understanding is that there are exactly three Pulaski County precincts in the first congressional district of this map of those increasing numbers forty seven fifty four and fifty five. I think that's right yeah yeah that's I mean I think it is but I'm you know I'm obviously looking at these numbers different what I was looking at was a map with the builder after. And then with regard to the fourth. If you're out of it to the bottom of the first page the amendment says Page four delete lines seven through fifteen and substitute the following. My understanding is that the numbers that follow their one oh four all the way through one thirty five on the next page those are all of the Pulaski County precincts in the fourth congressional district under this map. Do you know if I have that right yes that's the correct. Okay. That's all my questions on the amendment thank you. Okay Senator Garner you're recognized I believe S. before but maybe you need to be directed another member what's the change between the original map in the amendment of the amount of people on the first person to be a third versus the fourth district Sebastian County was a deviation changing that. Here's the here's all the districts in the deviation numbers no Sir that's not what this is a difference between each individual dish that you have the numbers from this morning that should be in your earlier package Senator Rapert let me make. Sebastian County specifically. What is the difference will be adding to the third or fourth district between the original one in the amendment does that question make sense. I don't know if you can get with a to get that question answered because the only thing that you have here would be the deviations between the entire district but we know they've been playing with those precincts there senator garner. Senator English as having had. Just looking at district numbers. Who. All right members you have other questions. The first class on this yes anyone that wants to speak on the bill. For against the bill. Yes all right Senator Tucker. So. Is this the deviations on them on the map is amended. Yes if you're if you're talking about the ones that articulated which of the. One oh five percent district one I'm not sure if I have that she you may have the old she so this was handed to me I don't know if you if you got this members. There are don't have yet been amended map yeah they are at the bottom of the map like you should do so. Okay all right here I guess. Yes that should be a last it it is. Ten five twenty one at twelve thirty five PM is when they made the last it to this man. So I see the deviation percentages. We have a the deviation numbers. Well they've got the idea population the total population there so just do some math yes. Okay Senator Rapert you're actually you're talking about three hundred seventy two people to the negative in district one. In district two would be negative one hundred seventy one. From the target okay and then three and four would be positive three hundred thirty eight in the third positif two hundred five in the fourth. Okay. So Maskin Senator English question now of course care. So I've got these numbers from from BLR and of the the portions of Pulaski County there. Being moved proposed to being moved from the second to the to the first district. that portion Pulaski County is is thirty four percent white fifty eight percent African American. Four percent Hispanic so essentially sixty five percent non white in total. And then the fourth. the the precinct Pulaski County that are being proposed to move from the second to the fourth this thirty percent white forty six percent African American twenty two percent Hispanic so it's thirty white seventy nine why does that does that concern you at all the mean moving areas that are so predominantly minority population center one generational district to another we we're it we said it many times we're not using. Racial demographics to draw maps. So. If if you're going to always revert back to discussion of that you're the facto using racial demographics draw maps there's there's a distinction Senator between intent and impact. I'm not saying that anyone in here has use race as a means of which precincts to move from the second district to another district but the reality is that the impact is there regardless of what any members intent may have been and I want to make sure that the members of this committee know what the impact is before we vote on. And and so do you have that wisdom to enunciate the impact the impact is that we're moving to different parts of flask county that are predominantly non white and it two different congressional districts that's the impact and as a bill sponsor I just was curious for Senator English as thoughts on that I really had two points one is to get her thoughts on the second is to make sure that everyone of this committee is aware of that fact and an votes on the map knowing that information. Senator English you're welcome so I review what I basically want is as Senator Rapert said I don't think we've looked at any amount at all across the state to decide whether something was African American a light or whatever the case may be I guess what what would you as soon as the impact. Of what we've heard from Senator Pitsch. You know over the last couple weeks and. From other members whose counties and towns have been split between congressional districts and and what we've heard from them I haven't personally live that but what we've heard from them is when you have little pieces of a county or town that are cut into it a different congressional district like the stepchild of that congressional district and they don't get the same representation that everyone that's in the bulk of the same congressional district us not only that but I'm also wary as a lifelong resident Pulaski County. We have a lot of. Big projects that we do here we live in a we live in a great city you know we have a thriving urban downtown we also have mountains that meet the delta we have a diverse economy we have a diverse population we have beautiful natural resources and we do a lot of of big projects here and it takes cooperation between the council the municipality state government the federal government to do a lot of these projects and becomes more cumbersome and more complicated if you're dealing with multiple members of Congress to that process and so I believe that were were hurting Pulaski County generally. Which is that it contains the capital city of our state the better that the state does the better little rock and Pulaski County doing the better that little rock and Pulaski County do the better the state does that's my opinion and by supporting Pulaski County three ways we were hurting Pulaski County generally and then by cutting off these two specific communities including them in separate congressional districts were hurting them more than the rest of the county so that's that's my opinion of what the impact is so that's my answer your computer questions Senator and obviously. I appreciate that and I know disapproval what you said. Thank you thank you senator Senator Ballinger in members we have fifteen minutes before session begins thank you Mr I know because I've I've worked with you the process and I work through the process it is difficult to find any way to to get the kind of margins that we have without dividing up without dividing up either a very large populated county or dividing up multiple counties and so I know that from visiting with you you prefer not have any county is divided up in in in in particular if you're if you're splitting this end to end in a couple different congressional districts that would you say that the the river which has divided those two communities for well sentries it's probably a better place to do it than any other place finally yeah. All right great. Members saying no other questions. Senator Davis I'm numbers and out of Pulaski County we move and it looks like this might may have thirty two thousand seven hundred and eighty people into the four and eight thousand six hundred and twelve people into the first for a total of forty one thousand three hundred and ninety two out of Pulaski second congressional district thank you. That's all right three hundred fifty five thousand. Thanks some like them. Yes. S. four hundred ninety nine thousand isn't. All right. Thank you. I have no other questions as or anyone else that would like to speak for against this bill. The Amendment. You ready you ready for the amendment failed to pass I have a motion to adopt the amendment is our second. I have a second all in favor of the adoption of the amendment say aye All opposed. The amendment is adopted thank you would you like to now make a motion on your bill as I'd like to move to pass out Senate bill seven forty three all right as amended as amended do I have a second. I have a second all those in favor say aye hi all those opposed say no bill passes thank you Senator English compared to that committee with the exception of any very unforeseen circumstance I think the committee is finished at least with its duties but be prepared. We're adjourned.