House committee reports bill adding $5 million for elections and temporary redistricting authority to ballot

A House committee on [date not specified] voted to report House Bill 1384, advancing spending for election administration and a temporary authority to modify U.S. House districts if voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment.

Miss Omer, a legislative staff member who walked the committee through the bill’s budget sections, said the measure amends item 5 to provide $100,000 for the Division of Legislative Automated Services to cover associated costs and another $100,000 to the Division of Legislative Services for preparing proposed redistricting maps. "This provides a $100,000 to the division of legislative services for the work that they will have to do, in preparing maps for the proposed redistricting," she said.

Miss Omer said the bill adds $5,000,000 to the Department of Elections. The appropriation language allows the funds to be used "for voter education, administrative costs of the department and to provide grant funding to localities to defray the cost of absentee voting in person," she said.

Delegate W. Price, who introduced the bill to the committee, said Article 2 of the measure relates to an April special election and described enabling language that would allow the General Assembly to adjust one or more congressional districts if other states conduct mid-decade redistricting for reasons other than the normal decennial process or a federal court order. He said the temporary authority is contingent on voters approving the proposed constitutional amendment. "All of this is contingent upon the voters voting in the majority of yes for the proposed constitutional amendment, and nothing shall change prior to that," Price said.

Price framed the measure as an interim protection for Virginia voters. "I strongly believe 1 person, 1 vote, and that is not where we are," he said, arguing action was needed because of developments in other states.

Several committee members voiced opposition to the appropriation. A member who identified himself as Delegate Austin said he could not support the spending given revenue constraints, calling the special election an "expensive process" and arguing that current boundaries "fairly represent" Virginians. "We have, congressional seats now are 6 Democrat, 5 Republican," Austin said, adding he regretted the request for additional funds.

After discussion and a motion to drop the substitute earlier in the hearing, Delegate Carr moved that the committee "report House Bill 13 84, with the substitute." The committee recorded the bill as reported by a 15–7 vote.

The bill includes enactments that repeal Code section 30-13 (citing the Code Commission report) with a retroactive start to 1971 and contains expiration language for some temporary provisions. Committee members were told satellite voting-site practices used in regular elections are intended to be applicable to the April special election.

The committee concluded with the chair thanking members for responding on short notice and adjourning.