As Introduced

129th General Assembly
Regular Session
2011-2012
H. B. No. 324


Representatives Clyde, Letson 

Cosponsors: Representatives Lundy, Sykes 

A BILL
To enact sections 3521.11 and 3521.12 of the Revised 1
Code to specify that plans of apportionment for 2
members of the General Assembly must include or be 3
accompanied by a district map and corresponding 4
list of census blocks, to specify a time by which 5
plans of apportionment must be ready, to specify 6
that the plans of apportionment must receive a 7
public hearing at four locations throughout the 8
state, and to declare an emergency.9


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       Section 1. That sections 3521.11 and 3521.12 of the Revised 10
Code be enacted to read as follows:11

       Sec. 3521.11.  (A) The persons responsible for the 12
apportionment of the state for members of the general assembly 13
under Ohio Constitution, Article XI, Section 1, shall neither 14
prepare nor accept from another a plan of apportionment that does 15
not include or that is not accompanied by a map of Ohio outlining 16
the general assembly districts and the corresponding list of 17
census block assignments as they would be apportioned by the plan.18

       (B) A plan of apportionment and map shall be prepared by the 19
persons responsible for the apportionment not later than three 20
weeks before the date by which the plan of apportionment is 21
required to be established. Plans submitted by members of the 22
public also shall be submitted three weeks prior to the deadline 23
for the adoption of an apportionment plan.24

       The persons responsible for apportionment shall make public 25
all plans produced and submitted three weeks before the deadline 26
for plan adoption. In making the plans public, the persons 27
responsible for apportionment shall display images or interactive 28
versions of the maps in a physical location and online through the 29
internet and shall make the data and electronic files that 30
describe each plan available to the public electronically in a 31
format that allows for meaningful analysis with computerized 32
systems. 33

       Sec. 3521.12.  The persons responsible for the apportionment 34
of the state for members of the general assembly under Ohio 35
Constitution, Article XI, Section 1 shall conduct four public 36
hearings, at four different locations in the state, on the 37
proposed plan or plans of apportionment that the persons 38
responsible for the apportionment have under consideration. The 39
public hearings shall commence not later than two weeks before the 40
date by which the plan of apportionment is required to be 41
established. The persons responsible for the apportionment shall 42
select locations for the public hearings so that one is conducted 43
centrally in Columbus, one is conducted in the southwestern 44
quadrant of the state, one is conducted in the northwestern 45
quadrant of the state, and one is conducted in the eastern half of 46
the state. The persons responsible for the apportionment shall 47
select sites for the public hearings that are most convenient to 48
the largest number of residents in the region in which a public 49
hearing is to be conducted.50

       At a public hearing, any person may appear before the persons 51
responsible for the apportionment and comment orally, in writing, 52
or orally and in writing on the plan or plans of apportionment the 53
persons responsible for the apportionment have under 54
consideration. The persons responsible for the apportionment shall 55
receive all relevant comments. A person who desires to offer only 56
written comment is not required actually to appear before the 57
persons responsible for the apportionment, but may do so by 58
transmitting the written comment to the persons responsible for 59
the apportionment so that the written comment is received before 60
the public hearings conclude.61

       The persons responsible for the apportionment shall give 62
notice of the public hearings in such a manner that the notice 63
will be reasonably likely to inform all persons residing in the 64
state in a timely fashion of their right to appear and comment on 65
the plan of apportionment at one of the public hearings. The site 66
and the date and time of each public hearing shall be stated in 67
the notice. Instructions for transmitting written comments to the 68
persons responsible for the apportionment shall be included in the 69
notice.70

       The persons responsible for the apportionment shall publish 71
the plan or plans of apportionment that are under consideration in 72
the register of Ohio. When a map accompanies a plan of 73
apportionment, the map shall be appended to the plan as published 74
in the register of Ohio. Instructions for accessing the plan or 75
plans of apportionment through the register of Ohio shall be 76
included in the notice.77

       Section 2.  This act is an emergency measure that is 78
necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, 79
health, and safety. Because this act requires the plan or plans of 80
apportionment for the General Assembly that are under 81
consideration to be given public hearings at four different 82
locations throughout the state, and because a plan of 83
apportionment must be established by October 1, 2011, it is 84
necessary that this act go into effect as soon as possible if the 85
persons responsible for the apportionment are to have the benefit 86
of the public hearings before publishing the plan of 87
apportionment. Therefore this act goes into immediate effect.88