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A legislative committee has approved a measure to redraw Connecticut's state House district boundaries

Connecticut House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, speaks during the opening session at the State Capitol, on Jan. 6, 2021, in Hartford.
Jessica Hill
/
Associated Press
Connecticut House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, speaks during the opening session at the State Capitol, on Jan. 6, 2021, in Hartford.

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.

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