HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ A bipartisan committee of legislators voted unanimously Thursday for a new map that redraws the district boundaries for the Connecticut House of Representatives, reflecting the state's westward shift in population toward the New York border.
The plan creates a new seat in Fairfield County, incorporating Wilton and portions of New Canaan and Ridgefield. Meanwhile, a district in southeastern Connecticut is being eliminated. It's currently held by Republican state Rep. Mike France of Ledyard, a candidate for Congress who is not seeking re-election to the General Assembly.
``I think overall, we made a lot of difficult decisions trying to keep a lot of the core districts in tact, but recognizing the fact that with population changes so do come changes to various districts,'' said House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, who called the Reapportionment Commission ``one of the best processes in the country.''
``We are truly a bipartisan process,`` he said.
Commission members said they expect to also approve a redistricting plan for the state Senate in time for a Nov. 30 deadline. However, House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said he expects the panel will likely ask for the Connecticut Supreme Court to grant them extra time to finish redrawing the state's congressional district boundaries.
``Given the late nature of the data that we received, it was a challenge to get the General Assembly done,'' said Ritter, referring to the late release of U.S. Census data due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ritter said he believes the group will be able to reach a bipartisan deal if they have a couple more weeks.
In 2011, the last time boundaries were redrawn, lawmakers couldn't reach agreement on the congressional district boundaries and the Connecticut Supreme Court ultimately named a special master to redraw the lines.