BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A North Dakota Senate committee weighed a bill Friday that would exempt drafts of redistricting plans from open records laws until they are unveiled at public meetings.
The bill, sponsored by GOP power-brokers in the Legislature, sailed through the House and is now being considered by the Senate. Opponents said the exemption of draft plans from open records would cut the public’s ability to scrutinize the process, the Bismark Tribune reported. The bill crafts an outline for the redistricting process, which is done every 10 years after a federal census.
The committee formed by the bill would be controlled by Republicans, who hold two-thirds majorities in both the state House and Senate. Under the plan, the committee would meet throughout the summer and fall and submit a plan to the Legislature by Nov. 30.
House Majority Leader Chet Pollert, who introduced the bill, defended the records exemption, saying it would allow committee members to be “better prepared when they start meeting.”
But North Dakota Newspaper Association attorney Jack McDonald argued it would make it more difficult for people to object to the plans. He pushed for proposed drafts to be made public two weeks before the committee meetings.
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