Sen. Terri Bryant talks about the governor's state of emergency call to complete the redistricting plan. | File Photo
Sen. Terri Bryant talks about the governor's state of emergency call to complete the redistricting plan. | File Photo
Republican lawmakers are annoyed with Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The Democratic chief executive recently extended the 30-day state of emergency order that was first instituted more than a year ago amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
But that isn't the GOP's only point of contention. More recently, the party has been pressuring the governor and Democrats to back their plan to reshape how the decennial redistricting process will happen.
"It appears that the governor just will not release the hold that he has on the people of this state," Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) said in The Morning Newswatch report for April 7. "Again, he has not invited the Legislature to assist him in these decisions that he's making."
Republicans have long lobbied the governor to reopen the state more quickly and seek the General Assembly's input on pandemic-related executive orders but have repeatedly failed.
She also discussed the always politically contentious redistricting process that takes place a year after the census is completed during the report.
Republicans proposed the People's Independent Maps Act that would essentially nullify the Democrats' majorities in the House and Senate to craft new congressional and district maps used in elections over the next 10 years.
In off years, Democrats and Republicans have supported the idea of the objective maps, which creates a citizens independent redistricting commission to craft new maps without political interference.
“For years, we have continuously heard the democrats talk about their support for a fair map process when it was politically advantageous, but have done nothing to advance the issue,” House Republican leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) told to The X Radio. "Now is the time for Governor Pritzker and his Democrat colleagues to finally match their words with actions by supporting the People’s Independent Maps Act.”
The act would empower the state Supreme Court to appoint 16 independent citizens to the redistricting commission. The commission bans legislative members, state employees and lobbyists from serving. The commission would also be required to have an accurate representation of the race, gender and ethnic demographics in the state and be split evenly in party affiliation.
The proposal, if approved, would only be used for 2021.
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