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Governor Signs Redistricting Bill

**UPDATE: Gov. Steve Beshear has signed new legislative maps into law.  The Kentucky House voted 79-18 to approve new redistricting maps. It follows a 35-2 approval by the Senate earlier Friday morning.  The bill took five days during a special session to pass.

Original Post:

A legislative redistricting bill that steamrolled through the House is scheduled for a Senate vote Friday morning.

Gov. Steve Beshear said he stands ready to sign the measure into law on Friday, after lawmakers finish up their work of redrawing boundary lines around House and Senate districts.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee unanimously approved the proposal Thursday.

Redistricting is undertaken every 10 years to account for population changes recorded by the Census Bureau. Kentucky had major population shifts between 2000 and 2010, requiring reconfiguration of legislative districts in both the House and Senate to comply with the federal and state "one person, one vote" mandate. The state's overall population rose from 4 million to 4.3 million while shifting largely from rural communities to urban areas.