Redistricting plan for state legislature and Congress may win approval this week

The state legislature will vote as early as this week on the proposed new created last week by the Legislative Services Agency.  A series of public hearings across the state drew mostly praise for the maps, which tightly adhere to new Iowa population figures from the U.S. Census.  Additionally, support seems to be building in the state legislature for approval of the maps.

Under the plan, Iowa would have four congressional districts.  Winneshiek County would be in a reconfigured 1st District, covering Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and a total of 20 counties in Northeast Iowa.  Democratic Congressmen Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack would both be living in the district, but Loebsack, who lives in Mount Vernon, which would be in the new 1st District, says he would run instead in the new 2nd District, which would not have an incumbent congressman.

Meanwhile, the current congressman serving Winneshiek county, Tom Latham, would be living in a new 4th District that would also include incumbent Republican Congressman Steve King.

For the state legislature, both State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm of Cresco and State Representative Bob Hager of Dorchester would have new districts that for the most part would not include Winneshiek County.  The new 56th State Assembly district would include all of Allamakee County and parts of Clayton County, while a new 55th State Assembly district would include most of Winneshiek County and parts of Fayette and Clayton counties.  Six townships in northwestern Winneshiek County would belong to a new 51st State Assembly District.  That district and the 52nd State Assembly district in Chickasaw and Floyd counties would be combined to form the 26th State Senate district, where Wilhelm would be the incumbent.  The new 28th State Senate district would include most of Winneshiek County, all of Allamakee and Clayton counties and part of Fayette County.

More information on the plan, including the new district maps, is available at http://www.legis.iowa.gov/Resources/Redist/redistricting.aspx