Three down, one to go.
The Texas House today gave preliminary approval to the Senate redistricting map that would give Travis County four state senators.
The sponsor of Senate Bill 31, Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, pushed to pass the map without amendments.
He got what he asked for. And in what has become the telltale rhythm of the House this session, members of the Republican-dominated chamber rejected all the Democrats’ proposed changes.
The count: 92-48, with seven member present but not voting. The measure still needs a final vote in the House, which is usually perfunctory. The Senate already approved the new map.
Democrats took the opportunity today to criticize the plan.
Those complaints were brushed off with the same indifference to minority voting rights and Latino population growth we’ve seen all along. I mean, why should the Republicans change now?
I don’t recall seeing a news story about it, but apparently the Senate approved HB150, the House redistricting bill, on Tuesday, the same day they approved their own redistricting bill. Yesterday, both chambers passed the others’ map on third reading. At this point, all that’s left is a Congressional map, and who knows when that will appear.
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