H.R. 5921

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5921 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5921

To require States to carry out congressional redistricting in 
accordance with a process under which members of the public are 
informed of redistricting proposals and have the opportunity to 
participate in the development of such proposals prior to their 
adoption, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 4, 2025

Ms. Ross (for herself, Ms. Adams, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, and Mrs. 
Foushee) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require States to carry out congressional redistricting in 
accordance with a process under which members of the public are 
informed of redistricting proposals and have the opportunity to 
participate in the development of such proposals prior to their 
adoption, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDING OF CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY.

(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Redistricting 
Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025''.
(b) Finding.--Congress finds that it has the authority to require 
States to follow certain procedures in carrying out congressional 
redistricting after an apportionment of Members of the House of 
Representatives because--
(1) the authority granted to Congress under article I, 
section 4 of the Constitution of the United States gives 
Congress the power to enact laws governing the time, place, and 
manner of elections for Members of the House of 
Representatives; and
(2) the authority granted to Congress under section 5 of 
the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution gives Congress the 
power to enact laws to enforce section 2 of such amendment, 
which requires Representatives to be apportioned among the 
several States according to the number of whole persons in each 
State.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING REDISTRICTING TO BE CONDUCTED UNDER PROCEDURES 
PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

(a) Requirement.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, any congressional redistricting conducted by a State shall 
be conducted in accordance with a process under which the 
entity responsible for developing congressional redistricting 
plans in the State (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
``State redistricting entity'')--
(A) in accordance with section 3, establishes and 
operates an internet site;
(B) in accordance with section 4, provides 
opportunities for participation by members of the 
public in the initial development of such plans; and
(C) in accordance with section 5, notifies members 
of the public regarding the proposed final 
congressional redistricting plan and provides 
opportunities for members of the public to respond to 
the plan.
(2) Treatment of subordinate entities.--Except as otherwise 
provided in this Act, the requirements of this Act shall apply 
with respect to any entity which is subordinate to the entity 
responsible for the final adoption of a congressional 
redistricting plan under State law, including any commission, 
board, committee, or subcommittee responsible under State law 
for performing certain functions on behalf of such entity in 
conjunction with the development and adoption of the plan for 
the State, in the same manner as such requirements apply with 
respect to the State redistricting entity.
(3) Other procedures permitted.--Nothing in this Act or the 
amendments made by this Act may be construed to prohibit a 
State from conducting congressional redistricting in accordance 
with such procedures as the State considers appropriate, to the 
extent that such procedures are consistent with the applicable 
requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
(4) No effect on redistricting for state or local 
elections.--Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 
Act may be construed to affect any procedures a State or a unit 
of local government in a State may use to conduct redistricting 
with respect to elections for State or local offices.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 22(c) of the Act entitled ``An 
Act to provide for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and 
to provide for an apportionment of Representatives in Congress'', 
approved June 18, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 2a(c)), is amended by striking ``in 
the manner provided by the law thereof'' and inserting: ``in a manner 
consistent with the requirements of the Redistricting Transparency and 
Accountability Act of 2025''.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC INTERNET SITE FOR STATE REDISTRICTING ENTITY.

(a) Establishment and Operation of Site.--Each State redistricting 
entity shall establish and maintain a public internet site which meets 
the following minimum requirements:
(1) The site provides general information about the 
congressional redistricting process, including information on--
(A) applicable legal requirements; and
(B) any redistricting principles or policies that 
the State redistricting entity will use in creating or 
evaluating congressional redistricting plans.
(2) The site is updated continuously to provide timely 
advance notice of meetings held by the entity and to otherwise 
provide information on the activities of the entity and any 
subordinate entity described in section 2(a)(2).
(3) The site provides access to all congressional 
redistricting plans or district maps submitted by any person or 
entity as part of the redistricting process.
(4) The site provides members of the public with no-cost 
access to easily assessable digital files containing the block 
equivalency, shapefiles, and demographic and election data 
needed for analysis, evaluation, or creation of proposed 
redistricting plans, including assessment of a plan's partisan 
performance and compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 
and other applicable legal requirements.
(5) The site permits any individual to submit, view, and 
search comments on proposed redistricting plans, and to submit 
questions, comments, and other information with respect to the 
entity's activities.
(6) The site permits members of the public to watch, in 
both live and archival formats, and review transcripts of, any 
public hearings or meetings of the State redistricting entity.
(7) The site includes any other information the entity is 
required to make public under this Act or other applicable law.
(b) Deadline for Posting of Comments Submitted by Public.--The 
State redistricting entity shall ensure that any oral or written 
comment relating to Congressional redistricting in the State which is 
submitted by a member of the public to the State redistricting agency, 
including a comment on any plan proposed by the entity or any other 
person, is made available on the site not later than 72 hours after 
submission.
(c) Updating of Information.--The State redistricting entity shall 
take all actions necessary to ensure that the site established under 
this section is updated continuously to provide timely advance notice 
of the entity's meetings and to otherwise provide timely information on 
the entity's activities.
(d) Multiple Language Requirements.--All of the information which 
is described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (6) of subsection (a) of this 
section shall be posted and published in any language in which the 
State (or any jurisdiction in the State) is required to provide 
election materials under section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 
(52 U.S.C. 10503).
(e) Deadline; Preservation of Information.--
(1) Deadline.--The State redistricting entity shall 
establish the internet site required under this section not 
later than August 1 of the year in which the regular decennial 
census is conducted.
(2) Preservation of information.--All information on the 
internet site established under this section with respect to a 
congressional redistricting plan shall be preserved in an 
accessible format for a period of not less than 10 years 
following adoption of the plan.

SEC. 4. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC 
PARTICIPATION IN INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CONGRESSIONAL 
REDISTRICTING PLANS.

(a) Requirements for Public Hearings.--
(1) In general.--To ensure that development of the State's 
congressional redistricting plan is informed by public input, 
the State redistricting entity shall hold hearings before and 
after the development of any proposed congressional 
redistricting plans. Such hearings--
(A) shall be held in different regions of the 
State, with an option for participants to participate 
virtually, and shall be streamed live on the public 
internet site maintained by the State redistricting 
entity under section 3; and
(B) shall be sufficient in number, scheduled at 
times and places, and noticed and conducted in a manner 
to ensure that all members of the public, including 
members of racial, ethnic, and language minorities 
protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, have a 
meaningful opportunity to attend and provide input both 
before and after the entity releases proposed plans, 
including--
(i) comments on the criteria the entity 
will use to develop the plans;
(ii) the content of the plans; and
(iii) any other issues relating to 
congressional redistricting in the State.
(2) Development and adoption of schedule.--
(A) Initial proposed schedule.--Prior to conducting 
hearings under this section, the State redistricting 
entity shall develop and publish a proposed schedule of 
hearings that it determines are sufficient in number to 
ensure that persons in all parts of the State, 
including members of racial, ethnic, and language 
minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 
1965, have a meaningful opportunity to provide input 
and comments regarding the contents of redistricting 
plans for the State, except that the number of hearings 
under the proposed schedule may not be fewer than 
three.
(B) Public response to proposed schedule.--
Following publication of the proposed schedule of 
hearings under subparagraph (A), members of the public 
shall have a period of not less than ten days to 
comment on the number of proposed hearings, their 
dates, times, and locations, and the processes by which 
the State redistricting entity proposes to provide 
notice of such hearings and ensure that the hearings 
are equally open to all members of the communities 
where the hearings are to take place.
(C) Publication of final schedule; opportunities 
for additional hearings.--After giving due 
consideration to any comments received under 
subparagraph (B), the State redistricting entity shall 
publish a final schedule of hearings under this 
section, except that nothing in this paragraph may be 
construed to prohibit the entity from holdings 
additional hearings under this section if the entity 
determines that additional hearings are necessary to 
enable the entity to obtain the information it needs to 
obtain sufficient public input on proposed 
redistricting plans.
(b) Other Opportunities for Public Participation.--Beginning on the 
date the State receives the notice of the number of Representatives to 
which the State is entitled in the following Congress under section 
22(b) of the Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the fifteenth and 
subsequent decennial censuses and to provide for an apportionment of 
Representatives in Congress'', approved June 18, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 2a), 
and continuing for not fewer than 60 days thereafter, the State 
redistricting entity shall solicit the input of members of the public 
in its work to develop proposed congressional redistricting plans for 
the State by carrying out the following activities:
(1) Posting on the internet site established under section 
3 the criteria which the entity will use to develop the 
congressional redistricting plan for the State.
(2) Posting on the internet site established under section 
3 a link to a video recording of each such hearing not later 
than 24 hours after the conclusion of the hearing and posting 
on the site a searchable version of the transcript of each such 
hearing not later than 5 days after the conclusion of the 
hearing.
(3) Engaging in outreach to provide information to and 
encourage participation in the redistricting process by 
communities with limited access to the internet or who may be 
difficult to reach through English-language media.

SEC. 5. NOTIFICATION OF CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING PLAN PROPOSED TO BE 
ADOPTED BY REDISTRICTING ENTITY; OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC 
TO RESPOND.

(a) Notice of Proposed Final Plan.--Not later than 10 days prior to 
holding a final vote on the adoption of a final congressional 
redistricting plan for the State, the State redistricting entity shall 
post information about the plan on the internet site established under 
section 3, including at a minimum the following:
(1) An analysis of the proposed final plan, including--
(A) a map showing each congressional district 
established under the plan, together with easily 
accessible digital files containing the block 
equivalency and shapefiles for each such district;
(B) a statement of the total population, the voting 
age population, and citizen population of each such 
district, broken down by race and membership in a 
language minority group;
(C) a statement of the number of registered voters 
in each such district, broken down by political party 
affiliation to the extent that such information is 
available under State law;
(D) a statement of the results in each such 
district for all statewide elections conducted in the 
State in the 6 years preceding the year in which the 
most recent decennial census was conducted;
(E) an analysis of the plan's compliance with 
applicable laws, including the Voting Rights Act of 
1965;
(F) an assessment of the partisan fairness of the 
plan under one or more standard quantitative measures 
of partisan bias;
(G) a statement identifying all individuals and 
entities responsible for the drafting of, or who were 
consulted in conjunction with drafting of, the plan; 
and
(H) a statement describing any changes made to the 
plan in response to input from members of the public.
(2) A statement explaining the entity's reasons for 
adopting the proposed final plan and the reasons why the 
adoption of the plan, as opposed to the adoption of alternative 
plans, will best serve the public interest, together with an 
assessment of how the plan is consistent with the policies 
described in section 3(a)(1).
(3) Any dissenting statement of any member of the entity 
who did not approve the proposed final plan.
(4) A statement that members of the public may submit 
comments regarding the proposed final plan through the internet 
site, together with information on how members of the public 
may submit such comments to the entity through other methods.
(b) Public Hearing Prior to Adoption of Final Plan.--
(1) Mandatory public hearing.--Not later than 7 days prior 
to holding a final vote on the adoption of the final 
congressional redistricting plan for the State, the State 
redistricting entity shall hold hearings in accordance with the 
requirements of section 4 at which members of the public may 
provide comments on the plan.
(2) Video and transcripts of hearings.--The entity shall 
post a link to a video recording of each such hearing on the 
internet site established under section 3 immediately following 
the conclusion of the hearing, and shall publish and post on 
such website a searchable version of a transcript of the 
hearing not later than 48 hours after the conclusion of the 
hearing.
(c) Treatment of Amended and New Plans.--If the State redistricting 
entity posts an amended version of the proposed final congressional 
redistricting plan or posts a new proposed final congressional 
redistricting plan, subsections (a) and (b) shall apply with respect to 
the amended version of the plan or the new plan in the same manner as 
such subsections apply with respect to the proposed final plan which is 
first posted under subsection (a).
(d) Application to Subordinate Entities Holding Votes on 
Recommending Adoption of Plan.--If a subordinate entity of a State 
redistricting entity described in section 2(a)(2), including a 
committee or subcommittee of the State redistricting entity, is 
directed under State law to hold a vote on recommending the adoption of 
a final congressional redistricting plan to the State redistricting 
entity, subsections (a) and (b) shall apply with respect to the 
subordinate entity and the vote held by the subordinate entity on 
recommending the adoption of the plan in the same manner as such 
subsections apply to the State redistricting entity and the final vote 
held on the adoption of the final plan by the State redistricting 
entity.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION TO REDISTRICTING CONDUCTED PURSUANT 
TO 2020 CENSUS FOR CERTAIN STATES.

(a) Effective Date.--This Act and the amendments made by this Act 
shall apply with respect to any congressional redistricting which 
occurs after the regular decennial census conducted during 2030.
(b) Application to Redistricting Conducted Pursuant to 2020 Census 
for States Without Enacted Congressional Redistricting Plans.--If a 
State is ordered by a court to revise its congressional redistricting 
plan for conducting redistricting pursuant to the regular decennial 
census conducted during 2020, and the State has not enacted such a 
final congressional redistricting plan as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act, this Act and the amendments made by this Act shall apply 
with respect to congressional redistricting in the State which is 
conducted pursuant to the regular decennial census conducted during 
2020, except that--
(1) the State shall establish the internet site described 
in section 3 as soon as practicable after the date of the 
enactment of this Act; and
(2) the State redistricting entity shall begin to solicit 
the input of members of the public under section 4(b) not later 
than 30 days after the court issues the order to the State or 
such earlier deadline as the court may require under the order.
<all>