Proposed plan for congressional redistricting released
PHOTO COURTESY / House Speaker Mike Turzai - The submitted congressional redistricting plan submitted by House Speaker Mike Turzai and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth
HARRISBURG, Dauphin County – Two Republican members of the state legislature submitted a redrawn congressional district map to Governor Tom Wolf earlier today, which, if accepted, sees Schuylkill County’s district number change, and potentially its representative.
Governor Tom Wolf has until Thursday to approve the map, drawn and submitted by House Speaker Mike Turzai and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, or the commonwealth Supreme Court will draw their own.
“While the Court’s order did not appear to allow for two individuals to draw a map on behalf of the entire General Assembly, Governor Wolf will review Speaker Turzai and President Scarnati’s submission in consultation with the experts retained by the administration to determine his next course of action,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
According to a tweet posted by Scarnati, the map “includes only 15 split counties (13 less than the 2011 Plan) and includes only 17 split municipalities (49 less than the 2011 Plan).”
Scarnati adds that “it is compact and constitutional.”
The Supreme Court ruled the previous map, drawn in 2011 and placing Schuylkill County in a district which slices through the Poconos, Lehigh Valley and Wyoming Valley, unconstitutional and ordered state lawmakers to draw a new one ahead of the primary elections set for May.
Under the proposed plan, Schuylkill County would move to District 11, and would be one of two full counties in the district spanning five counties. The proposed District 11 runs from northern Luzerne County to southern Dauphin County, encompassing Lebanon County and extreme northwestern Carbon County. Lebanon, Hazleton and Harrisburg would join Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, and Pottsville in the new district, if approved. Northern Dauphin County, including Williamstown, would be a part of District 10, and northeastern Luzerne County would be in District 17.
Under the current map, Schuylkill County is a part of District 17, where it is the only full county in the six county district. Included in the district were portions of Carbon, Monroe, Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Northampton Counties, including the cities of Easton, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton.
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