The House and Senate Committees on Redistricting are holding 12 joint public hearings across the state to hear from local residents about how to redraw the legislative and Congressional district boundaries.
The hearings closest to Sweet Home will be held in Eugene and in Corvallis Saturday, March 16.
Every 10 years, the Legislature is charged with redrawing legislative and Congressional districts to reflect the growth of Oregon’s population and the movement of people within the state.
The 2010 Census data released in late February shows that Oregon has grown by 409,675 people since the last census in 2000.
The criteria that the Legislature will consider when drawing legislative and congressional boundaries includes maintaining contiguity, equal population, existing geographic or political boundaries, communities of interest and connection by transportation links.
“The Legislature has a unique opportunity to pass a fair and bipartisan redistricting plan this year,” said House Redistricting Committee Co-Chair Shawn Lindsay (R-Hillsboro). “To accomplish a fair and bipartisan plan, Oregonians need to be involved throughout the process. We need Oregonians to share their ideas and concerns about their future representation in Salem and Washington, D.C. With valuable citizen input, I’m confident we can produce a fair plan for Oregon over the next ten years.
“Input from Oregon’s citizens is always a critical part of the Legislative process. In redistricting, which takes just every 10 years, it’s even more important,” said Senate Redistricting Committee Chair Suzanne Bonamici. Members of both the House and Senate Redistricting Committees will be on hand to listen to testimony.
The first hearing Saturday will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1515 Agage St. in Room 175 of the Knight Law Center at the University of Oregon. A second hearing will be held at the Linn-Benton Community College Corvallis Branch from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.