CHARLESTON – House Speaker Rick Thompson has appointed a 30-member committee, Chaired by House Majority Leader Brent Boggs, to develop a proposal for redrawing House of Delegates districts.
“Now that members have had a chance to examine the U.S. Census figures and get feedback from their constituents, the House committee is ready to move forward – meeting with both state and county officials – and come up with some recommendations,” Speaker Thompson said.
“Each region of the state is very well represented by this 30-member group, and I have complete confidence that this committee will do an outstanding job.”
Chairman Boggs said the first meeting will be scheduled to coincide with the Legislature’s next interim meetings, which take place June 13-15. The committee will meet regularly throughout the summer, he said. The recommendations will be considered by the full House during a special session in August or September.
“Chairing this committee is quite an honor and I look forward to working with my colleagues on this challenging task,” Boggs, D-Braxton, said. “I appreciate very much that the Speaker took the time to talk individual members about how we should progress. For the 100-member House, this is a massive undertaking, but we are prepared and ready to get to work.”
House Majority Whip Mike Caputo, D-Marion, has been appointed vice chair of the committee.
“I think this is great group of people who will spend a tremendous amount of time and energy ensuring that all needs are heard and every community in the state is properly represented,” Caputo said.
There will soon be a web page for the House Select Committee on Redistricting that will be linked to the Legislature’s main web page. The new House redistricting page will include a section for public input and provide contact information for each of the committee members. That link, along with a specific time and date for the committee’s first meeting, will be released in the next several days.
“We also plan to set up an 800-number so people can call and leave comments for committee members,” Chairman Boggs said. “We are striving to provide as many avenues for public input as possible at minimal expense.”
Other members of the House Select Committee on Redistricting are Delegates:
Ashley, R-Roane
Butcher, D-Logan
Canterbury, R-Greenbrier
Carmichael, R-Jackson
Duke, R-Berkeley
Ellem, R-Wood
Evans, R-Grant
Fleischauer, D-Monongalia
Fragale, D-Harrison
Frazier, D-Mercer
Hatfield, D-Kanawha
Hunt, D-Kanawha
Lane, R-Kanawha
Lawrence, D-Jefferson
C. Miller, R-Cabell
Moore, D-McDowell
Moye, D-Raleigh
Paxton, D-Putnam
Perdue, D-Wayne
Pethtel, D-Wetzel
D. Poling, D-Wood
M. Poling, D-Barbour
Reynolds, D-Cabell
Rowan, R-Hampshire
Staggers, D-Fayette
Storch, R-Ohio
Swartzmiller, D-Hancock
White, D-Mingo
