Legislative Reapportionment Commission to Hold First Public Meetings on April 26 and 27, 2021
HARRISBURG - The four legislative members of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission -- Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R-38, Westmoreland), House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-171, Centre), Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-43, Allegheny), and House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton (D-191, Philadelphia) announced today that the Commission's first public meetings will be held on April 26 and 27, 2021. The purpose of the meeting is to hear testimony from individuals who applied to be chair of the Commission.
In March, the caucus leaders announced that they were seeking applications from individuals interested in serving as chair of the 2021 Commission. More than 60 people submitted their names for consideration.
The meetings are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on April 26th and 9 a.m. on April 27th in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building, Capitol Complex. The meeting will be livestreamed and applicants will testify either in person or via Zoom.
The LRC is a five-member panel responsible for redrawing the boundaries for state Senate and state House districts to reflect population changes over the past decade as measured by the federal census. Article II, Section 17, of the state constitution names the four caucus floor leaders as members of the Commission. They are to choose a fifth member, who serves as chair of the LRC. The deadline for a decision is April 30, 2021.
The constitution requires that the chair of the LRC be a citizen of Pennsylvania who does not hold a local, state or federal office to which compensation is attached.
Previous LRC chairs include former Superior Court Judge Stephen J. McEwen, Jr., in 2011, former Supreme Court Justice Frank J. Montemuro, Jr., in 2001, attorney Robert J. Cindrich in 1991, James O. Freedman, Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1981, and Professor A. Leo Levin of the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1971.
If the floor leaders do not reach agreement on an individual to serve as chair of the LRC, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will make the appointment no later than May 30, 2021.
To watch the meeting live visit:
https://www.pasen.gov/Video/nob.cfm.
To watch the meeting recording from the redistricting website visit:
https://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/commission/.
CONTACT (Sen. Ward): Erica Clayton Wright, ewright@pasen.gov, (717) 787-6063
CONTACT (Rep. Benninghoff): Jason Gottesman, jgottesman@pahousegop.com, (717) 783-1918
CONTACT (Sen. Costa): Brittany Crampsie, bcrampsie@pasenate.com, (717) 787-7683
CONTACT (Rep. McClinton): Bill Patton, bpatton@pahouse.net, (717) 772-9850