Kansas House approves map redrawing its 125 districts

? House members on Thursday approved a redistricting bill redrawing the chamber’s 125 districts.

The bill passed 105-16, sending the bill to the Senate.

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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 decided instead to pair four Democrats in two new districts and put incumbent Republicans against Democratic incumbents in two other new districts.

The Republican-dominated House advanced the bill on a voice vote and passed it on final action.

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, keeps 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 early 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.

The new 116th District would be home to Reps. Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, and Alan Goering, D-Medicine Lodge.

In northwest Kansas, Reps. Dan Johnson, R-Hays, and Laura McClure, D-Osborne, would both be in the 110th District.

One question during debate was whether Republicans would hold McClure to a promise that she will not run against Johnson.

Rep. Clay Aurand, R-Courtland, said the map endorsed by the House Redistricting Committee had been drawn on the assumption McClure would retire an assumption he attributed to a misunderstanding.

McClure told the House she had never said she would retire, but she did acknowledge promising Johnson she wouldn’t run against him.

“I told the committee, ‘Don’t save me over other Democrats,”‘ said McClure.

“We can’t change the past. I don’t care about the promise. Let’s do what’s right for this state we have a good map now, as good as it’s going to get and try to make it through the rest of the session.”