Senate questions HB4 map as author says counsel found it legal; motion to withhold printing passes

Senator King, chair of the Senate redistricting committee, told colleagues on Aug. 22 that the House-drawn congressional plan now before the Senate (HB4, plan C2333) met his three stated goals: it was legal, it would "perform better for Republican congressional candidates," and it improved compactness in some districts.

The exchange on the Senate floor devolved into hours of questioning by senators from both parties over whether the map's authors considered racial data, how legal compliance was confirmed and whether a July letter from the U.S. Department of Justice contributed to the decision to redraw districts. King repeatedly told senators he had not examined race-based measures during his review: "I have not looked at any racial data," he said during the floor discussion. He also said he had asked outside counsel to review the map and report back that it complied with applicable law.

The stakes are national: congressional lines determine representation in the U.S. House and are the subject of pending and likely future litigation. Senators pressed specific numbers and neighborhood moves in Houston, San Antonio and Central Texas — including the transfer of parts of Fort Bliss back into CD16 and changes affecting CDs 9, 29, 32, 34 and 35 — and pressed King on citizen voting-age population (CVAP) shifts that some senators said would reduce Hispanic CVAP in places such as CD29.

Why it matters: changes to HB4 would reshape Texas' U.S. House delegation, could alter which party controls particular seats and…