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(INDIANAPOLIS) — Indiana’s legislative session is less than a month old, and leaders are already

resigned to coming back this summer.

The Census Bureau announced this week it won’t complete the population data states need to

redraw congressional maps until April 30, a day after the General Assembly is required by law to

adjourn. And it’ll be July before it delivers the more detailed data needed to draw state legislative

maps. House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) and Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray (R-

Martinsville) say legislators will have to come back to write the new districts, probably in late

summer.

Huston and Bray both say they’re disappointed but not surprised the census will miss its deadline —

Huston says he got the news Wednesday, and “did not do cartwheels.”

State law says if the congressional maps aren’t done by the time the legislature adjourns, the job

goes to a commission made up of Huston, Bray, House Elections Chairman Tim Wesco (R-

Osceola), his Senate counterpart Jon Ford (R-Terre Haute), and a fifth member appointed by

Governor Holcomb. That would give Republicans exclusive control over drawing the maps. That

process was used in two of the last three redistrictings, when Democrats controlled the House and

Republicans held the Senate.

Both Bray and Huston say they don’t want to use that escape hatch. They say the full House and

Senate should be involved in drawing the maps. And there’s no similar escape hatch for drawing the

state legislative districts.

Bray says he’s still looking at whether to amend the law requiring the commission, or to pass a law

changing the adjournment date. If the adjournment date isn’t pushed back, Holcomb would have to

call a special session.

House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) says legislators should use the opportunity to create an independent redistricting commission instead.

Districts must be redrawn every 10 years to adjust for population shifts and give each district nearly

equal numbers of people. The data also determine how many U.S. House members each state gets.

Indiana’s allocation of nine representatives isn’t expected to change.

The 100 seats in the Indiana House and 50 in the Indiana Senate are fixed by law.