Gov. Steve Beshear hopes to determine within about a week when to call a special legislative session to redraw the boundaries of state House and Senate districts. Beshear, after meeting for about an hour Monday behind closed doors in his Capitol office with Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo, said they were “working on a set of ground rules” for a special session and “are already looking at their calendars for a date.” Only the governor may call a special session and set its agenda. The legislature determines how long one will last. Beshear and the legislative leaders want a special session to run for only five days. That’s the minimum needed to make a law. The session will cost taxpayers about $65,000 a day.
Two federal lawsuits have been filed that seek legislative redistricting.
A suit filed April 26 by several Northern Kentucky officials and residents wants the court to force lawmakers to draw new legislative districts or allow a federal court to draw the boundaries.
In early May, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky filed a lawsuit against the state over the legislature’s failure to pass a constitutional legislative redistricting plan based on the 2010 U.S. census.
The General Assembly passed a legislative redistricting plan last year, but the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional.
Full Article: Beshear says he will decide soon when to schedule legislative redistricting | Politics and Government | Kentucky.com.