March 4, 2022 |
The legislative redistricting drama is headed to a showdown between the Senate and the House. The upper chamber passed HB 100 on third reading Thursday after passing amendments that keep the legislature at its current size of 60 house members and 30 senators. The House version calls expanding the legislature to 62/31 combination. The competing versions must be reconciled in recurrence.
The Senate plan will put the Big Horn Basin slightly out of deviation by moving sparsely populated precincts back into Natrona County where they have historically been counted. Senators Brian Boner of Converse/Platte and Bill Landen of Natrona County closed out the debate saying the plan is legally defensible if the state is sued.
The amendment, #2 to HB 100, passed on a 20-10 vote. The redistricting bill itself, amended to keep the legislature at its current size, passed by the same margin. It was then sent to the House for concurrence. Stay tuned. The redistricting merry-go-round is still spinning.
Related: Lawmakers continue tug-of-war over 62/31 plan to expand legislature
