H-1324              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1890

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Representatives R. Fisher and Anderson

Read first time 2/10/89 and referred to Committee on State Government.

AN ACT Relating to redistricting; and amending RCW 44.05.090.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 9, chapter 16, Laws of 1983 and RCW 44.05.090 are each amended to read as follows:

          In the redistricting plan:

          (1) Districts shall have a population as nearly equal as is practicable, excluding nonresident military personnel, based on the population reported in the federal decennial census.

          (2) To the extent consistent with subsection (1) of this section the commission plan should, insofar as practical, accomplish the following:

          (a) District lines should be drawn so as to coincide with the boundaries of local political subdivisions and areas recognized as communities of interest.  The number of counties and municipalities divided among more than one district should be as small as possible;

          (b) Districts should be composed of convenient, contiguous, and compact territory.  Land areas may be deemed contiguous if they share a common land border or are connected by a ferry, highway, bridge, or tunnel.  Areas separated by geographical boundaries or artificial barriers that prevent transportation within a district should not be deemed contiguous; and

          (c) Whenever practicable, a precinct shall be wholly within a single legislative district.

          (3) ((In accordance with the provisions of Article II, section 6 of the state Constitution, representative districts shall be uniformly established so that if a senatorial district is divided in the formation of representative districts, all senatorial districts shall be so divided.

          (4))) The commission's plan and any plan adopted by the supreme court under RCW 44.05.100(4) shall ((not)) provide for ((a number of legislative districts different than that established by the legislature)) forty-nine representative districts and forty-nine senatorial districts.  The boundaries for a representative district for any given area shall be identical to the boundaries of the senatorial district for that area.

          (((5))) (4) The commission shall exercise its powers to provide fair and effective representation and to encourage electoral competition.  The commission's plan shall not be drawn purposely to favor or discriminate against any political party or group.