Sponsors (57)
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Zoe Lofgren · Last progress September 18, 2025
The bill trades stronger, more transparent, and VRA-compliant redistricting with federal support and enforcement for increased administrative costs, more litigation, and a measurable shift of control away from state legislatures toward independent commissions and federal courts.
Voters across many states will likely get less partisan congressional maps because the bill incentivizes independent, balanced commissions and standardized selection procedures.
All citizens gain more transparent, public redistricting processes: commissions and courts must hold public meetings, post data and plans online, accept public maps and comments, and preserve records.
Communities of color and language-minority voters get stronger protections because plans must comply with the Voting Rights Act, provide notices in required languages, and ensure minority opportunity to elect preferred candidates.
Taxpayers and state governments may face substantially more litigation and court-related costs because the bill expands judicial remedies, citizen suits, expedited review, automatic stays, and potential special-master appointments.
States will incur new administrative and implementation costs and burdens (application systems, modeling and alternative-plan comparisons, staffing, websites, record archiving) to meet the bill's procedural requirements.
The bill reduces traditional state legislative control over congressional mapmaking by constraining who draws maps, how selections occur, and by authorizing federal court intervention—shifting power away from elected state bodies.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Requires most States to use independent, multi‑partisan redistricting commissions with public processes, or face federal court‑drawn maps, and authorizes conditional federal funding and enforcement tools.
Requires most States to use independent, multi‑partisan commissions to draw congressional districts, with public vetting, clear map‑drawing rules, and votes that include members from both major parties and independents. If a State fails to enact a lawful plan on time, a three‑judge federal court may develop and declare a final congressional map. The bill also creates selection and transparency rules, directs limited federal payments to help States stand up commissions, and gives the Department of Justice and private citizens tools to enforce the law.