Senate Bill 206 Summary

• Creates a 9-member congressional redistricting commission within the Department of State, with 4 members appointed by each major political party and 1 independent chair appointed by the Auditor General.

• Prohibits lobbyists, federal employees, and state government employees (except the Auditor General's appointee) from serving on the commission, and members cannot accept gifts from lobbyists, elected officials, government employees, or political organizations.

• Requires the commission to hold at least 6 public hearings across 4 regions of Michigan before voting on any redistricting plan, post all plans on a public website 72 hours before voting, and conduct all business in compliance with open meetings and freedom of information laws.

• Mandates the commission submit a congressional redistricting plan to the legislature by September 1, 2021, and every 10 years thereafter; if 6 members cannot agree, each party group submits its own plan, and the legislature must vote on submitted plans before enacting any other redistricting plan by November 1.

• Establishes redistricting guidelines in priority order: precise population equality among districts, federal voting rights requirements, then secondary guidelines including contiguity, minimal boundary splits of counties/cities/townships, and maximum compactness within subdivisions.