North Carolina 2023-2024 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 31 D · 2 R · 2 I cosponsors

HB 9 — Fair Maps Act.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2023-2024 Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

514 added · 512 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent amendment to House Bill 9 establishes an independent process for redistricting electoral districts in North Carolina after each census. This change is important because it aims to reduce partisan influence in drawing district lines, which can lead to fairer representation for voters. By requiring an independent process, the bill seeks to ensure that districts are drawn more fairly and transparently.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA H.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2023 H 1 HOUSE BILL 9 Short Title:
9 Jan 25, 2023 SESSION 2023 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK H D HOUSE BILL DRH30006-MTy-7 Short Title:
Representative Harrison.
Representatives Harrison, Morey, Reives, and Staton-Williams (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO AMEND THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION TO PROVIDE FOR AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS, TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION, AND TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES TO THE GENERAL STATUTES.
Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House January 26, 2023 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO AMEND THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION TO PROVIDE FOR AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS, TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION, AND TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES TO THE GENERAL STATUTES.
(1) Each Senator shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Senator represents being determined for this purpose by dividing the population of the district that he represents by the number of Senators apportioned to that district;
(1) Each Senator shall represent, as nearlyas maybe, an equal number of inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Senator represents being determined for this purpose by dividing the population of the district that he represents by the number of Senators apportioned to that district;
(1) Each Representative shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Representative represents being determined for *DRH30006-MTy-7* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 this purpose by dividing the population of the district that he represents by the number of Representatives apportioned to that district;
*H9-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 (1) Each Representative shall represent, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, the number of inhabitants that each Representative represents being determined for this purpose by dividing the population of the district that he represents by the number of Representatives apportioned to that district;
(a) In bill in which the General Assembly makes an appointment or appointments to public office and which contains no other matter;
(a) In bill in which the General Assemblymakes an appointment or appointments to public office and which contains no other matter;
The General Assembly would establish the process but have no role in the revising of districts." SECTION 1.(f) If a majority of votes cast on the question are in favor of the amendmentssetoutinsubsections(a),(b),(c),and(d)ofthissection,theStateBoardofElections Page 2 DRH30006-MTy-7 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 shall certify the amendments to the Secretary of State.
The General Assembly would establish the process but have no role in the revising of districts." Page 2 House Bill 9-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 SECTION 1.(f) If a majority of votes cast on the question are in favor of the amendmentssetoutinsubsections(a),(b),(c),and(d)ofthissection,theStateBoardofElections shall certify the amendments to the Secretary of State.
– A plan adopted by the Commission to be used for the purpose of nominatingandelectingidentifiedrepresentatives.InaccordancewithSection 25 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution, final plans shall have the force and effect of acts of the General Assembly.
– A plan adopted by the Commission to be used for the purpose of nominatingandelectingidentifiedrepresentatives.
InaccordancewithSection 25 of Article II of the North Carolina Constitution, final plans shall have the force and effect of acts of the General Assembly.
– Plansreleasedby theCommission following public input.
–PlansreleasedbytheCommission following public input.
– An individual who is related to the person in question as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, grandfather, grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, DRH30006-MTy-7 Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or half-sister.
– An individual who is related to the person in question as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, House Bill 9-First Edition Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 husband, wife, grandfather, grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or half-sister.
g.
Page 4 House Bill 9-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 g.
Page 4 DRH30006-MTy-7 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 1.
1.
As part of a person's application, that person shall (i) disclose all relevant relationships and positions and (ii) submit to the State Auditoran attestation that thepersonis eligibleto serveas amemberoftheCommission pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
As part of a person's application, that person shall (i) disclose all relevant relationships and positions and (ii) submit to the State Auditoranattestation that thepersonis eligibleto serveas amemberoftheCommission pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
The State Auditor shall evaluate applications to ensure they meet the requirements of this section and any other requirements of State law.
The State Auditor shall evaluate applications to ensure theymeet the requirements of this section and any other requirements of State law.
(1) Two by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate from the pool of applications that share his or her political party affiliation or lack thereof.
(1) Two bythe President Pro Tempore of the Senate from the pool of applications that share his or her political party affiliation or lack thereof.
b.
House Bill 9-First Edition Page 5 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 b.
DRH30006-MTy-7 Page 5 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 c.
c.
(2) By a vote of at least 11 members of the Commission, including at least one commissioner appointed from the same sub-subdivision of subdivision (c)(2) of this section, in open session at any duly held meeting, for any cause that renders the member incapable or unfit to discharge the duties of the office, including neglect of duty or gross misconduct.
(2) By a vote of at least 11 members of the Commission, including at least one commissioner appointed from the same sub-subdivision of subdivision (c)(2) of this section, in open session at any duly held meeting, for any cause that renders the member incapable or unfit to discharge the duties of the office, including neglect of dutyor gross misconduct.
As a whole, the political affiliations of staff members, or lack thereof, shall be divided approximately into thirds among the two political parties with thehighest numberof affiliates andamong personsunaffiliatedwith apolitical party.
As a whole, the political affiliations of staff members, or lack thereof, shall be divided approximatelyinto thirds among the two political parties with thehighest numberof affiliates andamongpersonsunaffiliatedwith apolitical party.
A person is ineligible to serve as a staff member to the Commission if that person would be ineligible to serve as a member of the Commission pursuant to G.S.
A person is ineligible to serve as a staff member to the Commission if that person would be Page 6 House Bill 9-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 ineligible to serve as a member of the Commission pursuant to G.S.
Page 6 DRH30006-MTy-7 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 (1) If there are at least three members appointed to the Commission from each sub-subdivision of G.S.
(1) If there are at least three members appointed to the Commission from each sub-subdivision of G.S.
(5) Minimizing the number of split communities of interest with the following communitiesofinterest prioritized aboveall others andin thefollowing order:
(5) Minimizing the number of split communities of interest with the following communitiesofinterest prioritized aboveall others and in thefollowingorder:
(6) TheCommission shall not considerelectoral results orpolitical considerations in the preparation of a preliminary, proposed, or alternative plan.
House Bill 9-First Edition Page 7 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 (6) TheCommission shall not considerelectoral results orpolitical considerations in the preparation of a preliminary, proposed, or alternative plan.
In order to ensure that each citizen of the State has substantially equal voting power on DRH30006-MTy-7 Page 7 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 the basis of party affiliation, the Commission shall evaluate every proposed andalternativeplan aftertheplanis createdto avoidinadvertentlydiminishing or diluting a voter's opportunity to aggregate with likeminded voters to elect a governing majority based on party affiliation.
In order to ensure that each citizen of the State has substantially equal voting power on the basis of party affiliation, the Commission shall evaluate every proposed andalternativeplan aftertheplanis createdto avoidinadvertentlydiminishing or diluting a voter's opportunity to aggregate with likeminded voters to elect a governing majority based on party affiliation.
(c) Time Line.
Page 8 House Bill 9-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 (c) Time Line.
Page 8 DRH30006-MTy-7 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 (2) Within 50 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the Commission shall release to the public preliminary plans for revising the congressional and legislative districts.
(2) Within 50 days of receipt of data from the Census Bureau, the Commission shall release to the public preliminaryplans for revising the congressional and legislative districts.
To achieve that goal, the Commission shall provide members of the public with all of the following resources:
To House Bill 9-First Edition Page 9 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 achieve that goal, the Commission shall provide members of the public with all of the following resources:
(2) The opportunity to communicate comments, questions, and recommendations on any plan released to the public, at a minimum, in person, online, and DRH30006-MTy-7 Page 9 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 through the mail.
(2) The opportunity to communicate comments, questions, and recommendations on any plan released to the public, at a minimum, in person, online, and through the mail.
CONFORMING CHANGES SECTION 2.(a) G.S.
CONFORMING CHANGES Page 10 House Bill 9-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 SECTION 2.(a) G.S.
Every order or judgment declaring unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, in whole or in part and for any reason, any act of the General Assembly plan that apportions or redistricts State legislative or congressional districts shall find with specificity all facts supporting that Page 10 DRH30006-MTy-7 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023 declaration, shall state separately and with specificity the court's conclusions of law on that declaration, and shall, with specific reference to those findings of fact and conclusions of law, identify every defect found by the court, both as to the plan as a whole and as to individual districts." SECTION 2.(b) G.S.
Every order or judgment declaring unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, in whole or in part and for any reason, any act of the General Assembly plan that apportions or redistricts State legislative or congressional districts shall find with specificity all facts supporting that declaration, shall state separately and with specificity the court's conclusions of law on that declaration, and shall, with specific reference to those findings of fact and conclusions of law, identify every defect found by the court, both as to the plan as a whole and as to individual districts." SECTION 2.(b) G.S.
(a1) In theevent the General Assembly North Carolina Citizens RedistrictingCommission does not act to remedy any identified defects to its plan within that period of time, the court may impose an interim districting plan for use in the next general election only, but that interim districting plan may differ from the previous districting plan enacted by the General Assembly only to the extent necessary to remedy any defects identified by the court.
(a1) In theevent theGeneral AssemblyNorthCarolina Citizens RedistrictingCommission does not act to remedy any identified defects to its plan within that period of time, the court may impose an interim districting plan for use in the next general election only, but that interim districting plan may differ from the previous districting plan enacted by the General Assembly only to the extent necessary to remedy any defects identified by the court.
EFFECTIVE DATE SECTION 3.(a) If the constitutional amendments proposed by subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 1 of this act are approved by the qualified voters as provided in subsections (e) and (f) of Section 1 of this act, the following shall become effective January 1, 2025:
EFFECTIVE DATE SECTION 3.(a) If the constitutional amendments proposed by subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Section 1 of this act are approved bythe qualified voters as provided in subsections (e) and (f) of Section 1 of this act, the following shall become effective January 1, 2025:
DRH30006-MTy-7 Page 11
House Bill 9-First Edition Page 11
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Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 40 co-sponsors · 136 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (40)

Not signed on (136)

136 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 136 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 9?
HB 9 is sponsored by Charles Smith (Democratic), Pricey Harrison (Democratic), Marcia Morey (Democratic), Robert T. Reives, II (Democratic), Staton-Williams, Eric Ager (Democratic), W. Ted Alexander (Republican), Vernetta Alston (Democratic), Autry, Amber M. Baker (Democratic), Cynthia Ball (Democratic), Mary Belk (Democratic), Gloristine Brown (Democratic), Kanika Brown (Democratic), Terry M. Brown Jr. (Democratic), Allen Buansi (Democratic), Laura Budd (Democratic), Deb Butler (Democratic), Becky Carney (Democratic), Maria Cervania (Democratic), Clemmons, Sarah Crawford (Democratic), Carla D. Cunningham (U), Allison A. Dahle (Democratic), Everitt, Gill, Harris, Zack Hawkins (Democratic), B. Ray Jeffers (Democratic), Abe Jones (Democratic), Ya Liu (Democratic), Brandon Lofton (Democratic), Carolyn G. Logan (Democratic), Lucas, Nasif Majeed (U), Lindsey Prather (Democratic), Renée A. Price (Democratic), Amos L. Quick, III (Democratic), James Roberson (Democratic), Rudow, Julie von Haefen (Democratic), Joe John (Democratic), and Neal Jackson (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 9?
This bill died with 2023-2024 Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HB 9?
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