REPORT TITLE:
Reapportionment Base; Const.
Amend.


DESCRIPTION:
Proposes an amendment to Article IV, sections 4 and 6, of the
Hawaii Constitution to specify that the reapportionment
commission shall use the total number of eligible voters instead
of the total number of permanent residents for purposes of
determining reapportionment districts.  Also proposes an
amendment to section 4 to change the 4 basic island units to the
four counties.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.1729       
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE IV, SECTIONS 4 AND 6 OF THE
   HAWAII CONSTITUTION TO CHANGE THE REAPPORTIONMENT BASE AND
   CHANGE THE ISLAND UNITS TO THE COUNTIES.
 


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The purpose of this Act is to propose an
 
 2 amendment to Article IV, sections 4 and 6, of the Hawaii
 
 3 Constitution to specify that the reapportionment commission shall
 
 4 use the total number of eligible voters instead of the total
 
 5 number of permanent residents for purposes of determining
 
 6 reapportionment districts.  The Act also proposes to change the
 
 7 units of apportionment from the four basic island units to the
 
 8 four counties.
 
 9      SECTION 2.  Article IV, section 4, of the Constitution of
 
10 the State of Hawaii is amended to read as follows:
 
11        "APPORTIONMENT AMONG [BASIC ISLAND UNITS] COUNTIES
 
12 
 
13      Section 4.  The commission shall allocate the total number
 
14 of members of each house of the state legislature being
 
15 reapportioned among the four [basic island units,] counties,
 
16 namely:  (1) the [island] county of Hawaii, (2) the [islands]
 
17 county of Maui, [Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe,] (3) the [island
 
18 of Oahu and all other islands not specifically enumerated,] city
 

 
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 1 and county of Honolulu, and (4) the [islands] county of Kauai
 
 2 [and Niihau], using the total number of [permanent residents] 
 
 3 eligible voters in each of the basic island units and computed by
 
 4 the method known as the method of equal proportions; except that
 
 5 no [basic island unit] county shall receive less than one member
 
 6 in each house." 
 
 7      SECTION 3.  Article IV, section 6, of the Constitution of
 
 8 the State of Hawaii is amended to read as follows:
 
 9        "APPORTIONMENT WITHIN [BASIC ISLAND UNITS] COUNTIES
 
10 
 
11      Section 6.  Upon the determination of the total number of
 
12 members of each house of the state legislature to which each
 
13 [basic island unit] county is entitled, the commission shall
 
14 apportion the members among the districts therein and shall
 
15 redraw district lines where necessary in such manner that for
 
16 each house the average number of [permanent residents] eligible
 
17 voters per member in each district is as nearly equal to the
 
18 average for the [basic island unit] county as practicable.
 
19      In effecting such redistricting, the commission shall be
 
20 guided by the following criteria:
 
21      1.  No district shall extend beyond the boundaries of any
 
22 [basic island unit] county.
 
23      2.  No district shall be so drawn as to unduly favor a
 

 
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 1 person or political faction.
 
 2      3.  Except in the case of districts encompassing more than
 
 3 one island, districts shall be contiguous.
 
 4      4.  Insofar as practicable, districts shall be compact.
 
 5      5.  Where possible, district lines shall follow permanent
 
 6 and easily recognized features, such as streets, streams and
 
 7 clear geographical features, and, when practicable, shall
 
 8 coincide with census tract boundaries.
 
 9      6.  Where practicable, representative districts shall be
 
10 wholly included within senatorial districts.
 
11      7.  Not more than four members shall be elected from any
 
12 district.
 
13      8.  Where practicable, submergence of an area in a larger
 
14 district wherein substantially different socio-economic interests
 
15 predominate shall be avoided." 
 
16      SECTION 4.  The question to be printed on the ballot shall
 
17 be as follows:
 
18      "Shall reapportionment be among the four counties and shall
 
19 the reapportionment commission use the total number of eligible
 
20 voters instead of the number of permanent residents as the
 
21 reapportionment base?"
 
22      SECTION 5.  Constitutional material to be repealed is
 
23 bracketed.  New constitutional material is underscored.
 

 
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 1      SECTION 6.  This amendment shall take effect upon compliance
 
 2 with article XVII, section 3, of the Constitution of the State of 
 
 3                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________