Comm. 009.1 - 2021-09-16 Lui: transmitting Attorney General petition to adjust State Commission deadlines

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At the start of every decade, the United States Census Bureau ("Census Bureau") counts the total number of persons in each state. The following year, the Commission uses the data collected in the decennial census to reapportion the members of both houses of the State Legislature and the members of the U.S. House of Representatives allocated to Hawaii among districts that are as of nearly equal population as is practicable. This year, however, due to the federal government's unprecedented and unforeseeable delay in transmitting census data to the States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is impossible for the Commission to meet the deadlines for issuing public notice of its proposed legislative and congressional reapportionment plans and filing its final legislative and congressional reapportionment plans as set forth under Haw. Const. art. TV, § 2 and HRS § 25-2. Article IV, Section 2 of the Hawaii Constitution sets forth deadlines regarding the formation of the Commission and the submission of legislative reapportionment and congressional reapportionment plans; Section 2. A reapportionment commission shall be constituted on or before May 1 of each reapportionment year and whenever reapportionment is required by court order. The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall each select two members. Members of each house belonging to the party or parties different from that of the president or the speaker shall designate one of their number for each house and the two so designated shall each select two members of the commission. The eight members so selected, promptly after selection, shall be certified by the selecting authorities to the chief election officer and within thirty days thereafter, shall select, by a vote of six members, and promptly certify to the chief election officer the ninth member who shall serve as chairperson of the commission.