HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION N

 

 

April 19, 2017, Introduced by Rep. McCready and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.

 

     A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, by amending section 3 of article IV, to

 

revise the number of members in the house of representatives.

 

     Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

 

state of Michigan, That the following amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, to revise the number of members in the house

 

of representatives, is proposed, agreed to, and submitted to the

 

people of the state:

 

ARTICLE IV

 

     Sec. 3. The house of representatives shall consist of 110 76

 

members elected for two-year terms from single member districts

 

apportioned on a basis of population. as provided in this article.

 

The districts Each house of representatives district shall be one-

 

half of a senatorial district and shall consist of compact and

 

convenient territory contiguous by land.

 

     Each county which has a population of not less than seven-

 

tenths of one percent of the population of the state shall

 

constitute a separate representative area. Each county having less

 

than seven-tenths of one percent of the population of the state

 

shall be combined with another county or counties to form a

 

representative area of not less than seven-tenths of one percent of

 

the population of the state. Any county which is isolated under the

 

initial allocation as provided in this section shall be joined with

 

that contiguous representative area having the smallest percentage

 

of the state's population. Each such representative area shall be

 

entitled initially to one representative.

 

     After the assignment of one representative to each of the

 

representative areas, the remaining house seats shall be

 

apportioned among the representative areas on the basis of

 

population by the method of equal proportions.

 

     Any county comprising a representative area entitled to two or

 

more representatives shall be divided into single member

 

representative districts as follows:

 

     (1) The population of such districts shall be as nearly equal

 

as possible but shall not be less than 75 percent nor more than 125

 

percent of a number determined by dividing the population of the

 

representative area by the number of representatives to which it is

 

entitled.

 

     (2) Such single member districts shall follow city and

 

township boundaries where applicable and shall be composed of

 

compact and contiguous territory as nearly square in shape as

 

possible.

 

     Any representative area consisting of more than one county,

 

entitled to more than one representative, shall be divided into

 

single member districts as equal as possible in population,

 

adhering to county lines.

 

     Resolved further, That the foregoing amendment shall be

 

submitted to the people of the state at the next general election

 

in the manner provided by law.