MORGANTOWN – The state Senate and House have named their members to the Joint Committee on Redistricting that will redraw legislative and congressional district lines this fall. Membership includes five local legislators.
The committee will travel the state this summer, Senate President Craig Blair and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said in a joint letter to legislators. It will hold public hearings to gather feedback from residents. “It will also ensure that the process is interactive, transparent and productive as we shape our Senate, House and congressional districts for the next 10 years.”
The Senate Redistricting Committee has nine members: six Republicans and three Democrats. Locally, Sens. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, and Dave Sypolt, R-Preston, were named.
Other members are Sens. Charles Trump, R-Morgan and chair, Glenn Jeffries, D-Putnam, Rupie Phillips, R-Logan, Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, and Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell.
The House Redistricting Committee has 24 members: 18 Republicans and six Democrats. Locally, Majority Leader Amy Summers, R-Taylor, is vice-chair; Delegates Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, and John Williams, D-Monongalia, are on the committee.
Other members are: Gary Howell, R-Mineral, chair, Bill Anderson, R-Wood, Brent Boggs, D-Braxton, Nathan Brown, D-Mingo, Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson, Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, Geoff Foster, R-Putnam, Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer, Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, David Kelly, R-Tyler, Kayla Kessinger, R-Fayette, Daniel Linville, R-Cabell, Zach Maynard, R-Lincoln, Jeff Pack, R-Kanawha, Matt Rohrbach, R-Cabell, Roth Rowan, R-Hampshire, Minority Leader Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, Erikka Storch, R-Ohio, and Steve Westfall, R-Jackson.
Trump previously said that full census data, which will be used to determine the districts, should arrive by the end of September. Once the data is in, the governor will call a special session. The last redistricting session took place in August 2011.
For the first time in the history of the state, the House will be divided into 100 single-member districts. Mon County will be the single most affected by the change: District 51, which covers most of the county, has five members and four are from the Morgantown area.
Just to the south, in Marion County, District 50 has three members. All told, 20 of the 67 districts are multi-member. District 48, Harrison, and District 35, Kanawha, both have four members.
It’s expected that the state’s population loss will result in trimming congressional districts from three to two. All three seats are now held by Republicans: David McKinley, District 1, which includes Mon, Marion and Preston; Alex Mooney, District 2; Carol Miller, District 3. It’s been speculated that the two new districts will be divided into northern and southern districts.
TWEET David Beard @dbeardtdp EMAIL dbeard@dominionpost.com
