Topeka ? House members gave first-round approval to a redistricting bill Wednesday, after some adjustments to the proposed new map of the chamber’s 125 districts.

As endorsed last week by the House Redistricting Committee, the new map would have paired six incumbent Democrats in three new districts and put a Republican and a Democrat together in a northwest Kansas district.

But during debate Wednesday, the full House voted to undo some of that work and tentatively decided instead to pair four Democrats in two new districts and put incumbent Republicans against Democratic incumbents in two other new districts.

The chamber then recessed late in the afternoon so that legislative staff could review the various amendments. The Republican-dominated House advanced the bill on a voice vote and expects to pass it today, sending it to the Senate.

Legislators this year are redrawing all of the state’s Kansas House, Kansas Senate, State Board of Education and U.S. House districts to adjust for population changes reflected in the 2000 census.

On Wednesday, the House first rejected and then approved an amendment putting Reps. Bruce Larkin, D-Baileyville, and Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, in a new 63rd District in northeastern Kansas.

The amendment was offered by Democratic Rep. Bill Reardon of Kansas City the chamber’s longest-serving member. The original bill paired Larkin with a fellow Democrat, Jerry Henry, D-Cummings.

Another amendment, approved by voice vote, would keep Jackson County whole instead of splitting it between two districts. It did not affect any incumbents.

As amended, the bill keeps the cities of Atchison and Hays intact and maintains the same number of seats from southeast Kansas. All three were contentious issues in the process.

The map puts Democratic Reps. Doug Spangler and Broderick Henderson in a redrawn 35th District in Kansas City. However, Spangler already has announced he won’t seek re-election.