Graves gives OK to House redistricting

? Gov. Bill Graves signed a measure Monday redrawing the 125 districts of the Kansas House, sending the map to the state Supreme Court for review.

The map reflect shifts in the population as reported in the 2000 Census. The House passed it overwhelmingly, and it was approved by the Senate without debate.

Under the new map, two incumbent Democrats would be paired in each of two districts, and incumbent Democrats would face incumbent Republicans in two other districts.

“This House map is the successful product of bipartisan cooperation and fairness,” Graves said in a statement released by his office. “This plan was crafted with complete and open discussion throughout the established committee process.”

The Supreme Court has 30 days to rule on the map’s legality.

The Legislature is also responsible for redrawing the state’s four U.S. House districts, 40 state Senate districts and 10 state Board of Education districts.

A Senate redistricting proposal was vetoed by Graves last week. The governor questioned the plan’s fairness, legality and lack of public input on the process.

The Senate Reapportionment Committee is scheduled to meet today to discuss options for a new Senate map. The House Redistricting Committee is also scheduled to meet today to begin work on congressional redistricting.