Senate President Says More Agreement Is Needed On Redistricting Reform

State lawmakers and some backers of a citizen-led initiative to change the way the Congressional map is drawn continue to hammer out an agreement on a new plan behind closed doors. Republican Senate President Larry Obhof says he believes there’s hope that a deal can be reached on a plan that would be acceptable to lawmakers and to the citizens’ groups that want to put their redistricting plan on the November ballot. The Senate is considering the lawmakers’ plan, and Obhof says it must win the support of the citizens’ groups for it to pass the Senate. “I wouldn’t pass something with the expectation that we would continue fighting over this issue for the rest of the year. I don’t think that does anybody any good.”But Democrats like Representative Stephanie Howse say that Republican-backed proposal still allows gerrymandering. “The proposal being put forth right now will make things worse.”Lawmakers must pass a redistricting plan by February 7^th to get it on the May ballot.  Copyright 2018 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.