SB15 & SB199 Combined, Unanimously Passing Senate Rules

In Senate Rules Committee today, a committee substitute bill was introduced that combined Senate Bill 199 (SB199) and Senate Bill 15 (SB15).  SB199 is sponsored by Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-Bernalillo) and Senator Mark Moores R-Bernalillo) and SB 15 is sponsored by Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto (-Bernalillo). The three lawmakers, all of whom have a strong track record in support of good governance, worked together on the new language – which passed with approval from Republicans and Democrats.
 
Senator Ivey-Soto created a committee substitute bill that calls for establishment of a cross-partisan citizens redistricting commission. The commission would use criteria, considerably more rigorous than what was used a decade ago, and recommend maps to the legislature.  
 
The committee substitute, which passed on a unanimous 10-0 vote and now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee, potentially the full Senate and then to the House of Representatives.