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The first piece of the new redistrict map is in place and it was not a popular decision for all state Senators.
The Kansas Senate redistrict map has moved Pratt County and five other surrounding south central counties out of the First Congressional District and into the Fourth District.
Moving Pratt, Barber, Stafford, Comanche, Kiowa, Edwards and part of Pawnee Counties out of the First District and into the Fourth District has not met with unanimous approval in the Kansas Senate.
“I did not vote for this map,” said Sen. Ruth Teichman. “We don’t have a nexus (connection, link) with Sedgwick County and Wichita. We are a rural area. It would make more sense for those counties to be in the First (district) that does deal with rural issues.”
Teichman was not alone in her dissension. The Senate vote on the new map passed 23 to 17 so many Senators were not in favor of the change.
“I just don’t think the six counties they added to the Fourth District have the same interest,” Teichman said. “The feeling I got from the people I talked to was they would prefer being in the First (district.)”
The representative for the Fourth District is Rep. Mike Pompeo. The Fourth District currently includes Butler, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Montgomery, Sedgwick and Sumner Counties.
If the new map holds up Pompeo would be representative for the six counties in the Pratt area.
“I’m sure Congressman Pompeo will serve our counties to the best of his ability,” Teichman said.
Besides the six counties changing districts, another major issue is moving Riley and Pottawatomie Counties out of the Second District and putting them in the First District.
A big push went through the Senate to keep those counties in the Second District.
A link of interests in the university system and an animal corridor exists between the two counties and the rest of the Second District. The new map breaks that link and many senators fought to keep the link intact.
Some House members also want to keep Manhattan and Riley County in the Second District. U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins of the Second District has been working diligently to get the National Bio Agro-Defense Facility located in Manhattan. The facility is not a done deal and many representatives want Manhattan to stay in the Second District because of Jenkins background with the project.
The first piece of the new redistrict map is in place and it was not a popular decision for all state Senators.
The Kansas Senate redistrict map has moved Pratt County and five other surrounding south central counties out of the First Congressional District and into the Fourth District.
Moving Pratt, Barber, Stafford, Comanche, Kiowa, Edwards and part of Pawnee Counties out of the First District and into the Fourth District has not met with unanimous approval in the Kansas Senate.
“I did not vote for this map,” said Sen. Ruth Teichman. “We don’t have a nexus (connection, link) with Sedgwick County and Wichita. We are a rural area. It would make more sense for those counties to be in the First (district) that does deal with rural issues.”
Teichman was not alone in her dissension. The Senate vote on the new map passed 23 to 17 so many Senators were not in favor of the change.
“I just don’t think the six counties they added to the Fourth District have the same interest,” Teichman said. “The feeling I got from the people I talked to was they would prefer being in the First (district.)”
The representative for the Fourth District is Rep. Mike Pompeo. The Fourth District currently includes Butler, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Montgomery, Sedgwick and Sumner Counties.
If the new map holds up Pompeo would be representative for the six counties in the Pratt area.
“I’m sure Congressman Pompeo will serve our counties to the best of his ability,” Teichman said.
Besides the six counties changing districts, another major issue is moving Riley and Pottawatomie Counties out of the Second District and putting them in the First District.
A big push went through the Senate to keep those counties in the Second District.
A link of interests in the university system and an animal corridor exists between the two counties and the rest of the Second District. The new map breaks that link and many senators fought to keep the link intact.
Some House members also want to keep Manhattan and Riley County in the Second District. U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins of the Second District has been working diligently to get the National Bio Agro-Defense Facility located in Manhattan. The facility is not a done deal and many representatives want Manhattan to stay in the Second District because of Jenkins background with the project.
“She’s been doing an excellent job and we want to keep the continuity,” said Rep. Mitch Holmes. “We don’t want to take someone who has been dealing with contracts and change that person in mid stream. I wouldn’t be surprised if Riley County ended up in the with Lynn Jenkins in the Second District.”
The final version of the reapportionment map has yet to be determined so the Senate map is not set in stone.
The Kansas House is now putting together their version of the map. The two maps are not expected to be the same.
Both versions will go to a redistricting conference committee that includes three Senators and three Representatives.
The committee will work out the differences between the two maps then send their version back to the Senate and House for their approval. Once both houses agree on a map it goes to the governor for his signature.
Then the attorney general submits the map to the Kansas Supreme Court who will determine if all the boundary changes fall within all state regulations. Once that is done the congressional map will be complete.
Besides the Congressional redistricting, the Legislature also has to work on the individual state districts as well. The House has completed their work on House districts and the only change in the 114th District, that includes Pratt, is the addition of the western part of Edwards County that includes Kinsley. The 114th District is now all of Pratt, Stafford, Pawnee and Edwards Counties.
Also one Reno County Precinct that was in the 114th District is now gone and that surprised Holmes. The one precinct in Holmes district gave Reno County two voices in legislative matters. Now that Reno County is all in one district that second voice is gone.
The House had a very easy time of setting the new state legislative boundaries and Holmes expects the House to work smoothly when they put together their version of the Congressional districts.
“The way the House map went so smoothly I think this will be managed real well too,” Holmes said. “A lot of the credit goes to the Speaker for how smoothly it went. He made sure it was fair for all.”
The Senate is just starting the process of redefining the Senate district boundaries. Teichman needs to pickup about 6,000 people in the 33rd District so some changes will be necessary. A lot of options have been suggested so exactly what will happen is difficult to say at this point.
“It’s hard to say because there’s all kinds of suggestions. There are some easy fixes and some kind of bizarre,” Teichman said. “At this points it’s all talk and nothing concrete.”
