Friday, June 28, 1996

Morales calls for independent redistricting commission

By ANNA M. TINSLEY
Harte-Hanks Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Dan Morales is bombarded with daily calls from Republicans, Democrats, lawmakers and political consultants who want congressional lines drawn to suit them.

On Thursday, saying that selfish party concerns are overriding redistricting matters, Morales called for state lawmakers to create an independent, non-partisan commission to handle future redistricting needs.

"Democrats and Republicans are wrong when they place personal, partisan ambition above the public interest," Morales said. "We should reject a system which seeks to further narrow partisan advantage at the expense of fair representation of our citizens.

"If we can put a man on the moon, and split atoms, surely we can assemble an independent commission whose only challenge would be to draw fair, legal districts," Morales said.
New district lines are redrawn every 10 years.

Morales' proposal would not affect pending changes ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that three Texas districts were illegal because race was the main factor in drawing the boundary lines.

Party leaders and state officials had varied reactions to Morales' proposal.

State Republican Party Chair Tom Pauken said he supports a nonpartisan redistricting process; State Democratic Party Chair Bill White said he supports depoliticizing the process.

Both say the success of such a venture would depend on who was appointed, what criteria was used to draw the districts and how open the process is.

Gov. George W. Bush will wait to see how lawmakers respond to the proposal during the next legislative session in January, spokesman Ray Sullivan said.

"It's an interesting idea," Sullivan said. "We'll see what happens in the session."

Neither Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock nor House Speaker Pete Laney could be reached for comment. But Bullock has said he believes there are better ways to redistrict than the current method.

Morales said his proposal would establish a system for redistricting in the future.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that three of Texas' 30 congressional districts - two in Houston and one in Dallas - were unconstitutional because race was the main factor in drawing their boundaries.

As many as a dozen Texas congressional seats could change - including those in South Texas - when the boundaries are redrawn,officials have said.

A three-judge federal court panel in Houston is now expected to determine whether Texas can hold congressional elections this year - under existing districts - or whether state lawmakers or the court must redraw boundaries before November's general election.

"It's time to abandon politics as usual and pursue a very new approach," Morales said. "Separating redistricting decisions from the officials who represent those districts is one of the most basic, most important, and most overdue reforms we could possibly make."

Morales said the state has yet to file a motion on whether current congressional lines should be redrawn before November.

A July 11 federal court hearing has been scheduled in Houston to begin work on changing the congressional district boundaries. Until then, negotiations continue between the state and the group of Republicans who filed the lawsuit claiming the districts were illegal.

If November's congressional elections must be held under a new redistricting plan, then results of March primaries and April runoffs in districts whose lines are changed would be invalid. That would mean new primaries and possible runoffs before November.

At issue are the majority-Hispanic 29th District in Houston held by Democrat Gene Green, who is Anglo; and two predominately-black districts: the 18th held by black Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee and the 30th in Dallas, held by black Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson.

"Our citizens watch Democrats and Republicans alike play politics," Morales said. "They watch party hacks and political consultants wrangle for every partisan advantage. Lawsuits are filed, appeals are pursued, consultants are hired. But the public interest is all but ignored.

"Millions of taxpayer dollars are wasted and immeasurable harm is done to the integrity and the credibility of our system of government."