Lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a proposal to redraw Arkansas’ four congressional districts.
The lines for U.S. representatives are reconfigured every 10 years based on U.S. Census data to account for population changes in different regions. The Arkansas General Assembly reconvened last week after an extended recess over the summer while waiting to receive the data from the federal government.
Senate Bill 743 by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, would split both Pulaski and Sebastian counties between multiple congressional districts. The Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs voted Tuesday afternoon to send the bill to the full Senate for consideration.
The bulk of Pulaski County would stay in the 2nd Congressional District, while a southeastern portion of the county would go to the 1st Congressional District and another area in the southern part of the county would go to the 4th Congressional District.
The northern part of Sebastian County, which includes Fort Smith, would go in the 3rd Congressional District, while the southern portion of the county would be in the 4th Congressional District.
Read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for the full story.