Update: Gov. Steve Beshear has signed the bill. In a statement, Beshear said: “I’m pleased that our legislators have met the constitutional requirements for new districts and that this special session was held to the minimum five-day period, and I have signed the bill so these new districts take effect immediately. I expect these maps will withstand legal scrutiny, so all Kentuckians can be assured of appropriate representation in the General Assembly.” A legislative redistricting bill lacking any overt attempts at partisan one-upmanship has received final passage and now heads to Gov. Steve Beshear to be signed into law. The House voted 79-18 on Friday, minutes after the Senate passed it 35-2. Lawmakers completed the task in only five days, the minimum necessary to get a bill through Kentucky's legislative process. The Senate voted 35-2 on Friday morning, a reflection of broad bipartisan support for the measure. Redistricting is undertaken every 10 years to account for population changes recorded by the Census Bureau. Kentucky had major population shifts between 2000 and 2010, requiring reconfiguration of legislative districts in both the House and Senate to comply with the federal and state "one person, one vote" mandate.
