The Legislature on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
Photo: David Calvert / The Nevada Independent
The Senate late Sunday passed the redistricting bill designating congressional, state Senate and Assembly.
Senate Bill 1 was approved 12-9 on a party line vote and immediately transmitted to the Assembly.
The Assembly select committee on redistricting and elections met Monday morning to take testimony on the amendment proposed to fix objections raised by Hispanics, Nevada’s tribes and local government officials.
Most of the amendment deals with the addition of 1,612 inmates who will not be counted in the districts where they resided when arrested instead of the district where the prison they are being held in is.
Hispanic leaders, however, made it clear what Democrats did in the amendment didn’t fix the problem. They said splitting the roughly 300,000 Hispanics in Congressional District 1 which Hispanic leaders say effectively breaks up that community of interest making it much less likely they would be able to elect a Hispanic representative.
The amendment does move the Walker River Paiute reservation into CD4. The original plan had it split between CD2 and CD4 and tribal officials objected strongly.
In addition, it unites the Reno Sparks Indian Colony entirely into Assembly District Assembly District 32 and Sun Valley into AD27. Before, both were split.
It also moves Carlin into AD33.
After more than two hours of testimony, the committee voted along party lines to amend and do pass SB1. The Assembly met briefly in early afternoon to adopt the amendment and move SB1 to a final vote on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
The measure would then go back to the Senate to concur with the change.
Republicans in both houses say they will oppose the amended bill because it is a partisan move by the majority to try guarantee Democrats a two-thirds super-majority in both houses.
They still point to Senate District 14 that originally stretched from Verdi to Carlin at the Elko border. At least Verdi was moved into SD16 that includes part of western Reno, Incline Village and Carson City.
The Senate wasn’t set to meet Monday. That body is scheduled to reconvene Tuesday at 10 a.m.
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