Texas gains four more House seats after latest Census

Texas gains four more House seats after latest Census

Dave Montgomery
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
Dec. 21, 2010

AUSTIN – Texas will pick up four more congressional seats, expanding the state's U.S. House delegation to 36 seats and further boosting Texas political clout in the nation's Capitol.

Texas had the biggest increase of any state as the Census Department announced new congressional apportionment based on population shifts over the past decade.

The Lone Star State, which has grown faster than the nation as a whole, had been expected to get either three or four new seats.

The Texas Legislature will determine the location of the new districts when it redraws district boundary lines.

Experts believe the Metroplex, one of the largest urban regions in the country, is a strong candidate for one of the seats. Central and South Texas could also be beneficiaries.

The Census Bureau released population figures more than a week before the legal deadline for assigning 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, based on each state’s share of the national population. The new seats will be in place for the 2012 elections.

Steady Sunbelt growth has made Texas a consistent winner in reapportionments while parts of the Northeast and Midwest have lost clout.

Texas picked up two seats a decade ago and now has a Republican-dominated 32-member delegation. Four U.S. lawmakers, all Republicans, represent parts of Tarrant County.

Redistricting officials say Texas lawmakers must be careful as they draw their maps to not "dilute" the voting strength of minority groups in certain areas of the state. That would violate federal law and cause the Justice Department to reject the plan, sending the maps to the courts instead.

Surging growth among Hispanics, the nation’s largest and fastest growing minority, has been a driving force in Texas’ population gains.

The redistricting process in Texas is expected to benefit Republicans, as it will be guided by a GOP-majority House and Senate and a Republican governor. But a Democratic-appointed Justice Department must review and sign off on the new maps.

In 2001, Texas lawmakers deadlocked on congressional redistricting, sending the maps to the federal courts.

In 2003, then-U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, pushed Texas lawmakers to redraw congressional boundaries even though the court-drawn districts were legal until 2011.

In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that some of Texas’ district lines be redrawn to protect Hispanic voting rights.

My state lost 2 seats. Not surprising considering Ohio is a highly unionized state with no "right to work" law and high taxes. People and businesses have been fleeing this state for years.

dblboggie wrote:My state lost 2 seats. Not surprising considering Ohio is a highly unionized state with no "right to work" law and high taxes. People and businesses have been fleeing this state for years.

With the exception of Nevada, everything is moving south. Liberal states are losing, little by little. Imagine that.

TexasBlue wrote:

dblboggie wrote:My state lost 2 seats. Not surprising considering Ohio is a highly unionized state with no "right to work" law and high taxes. People and businesses have been fleeing this state for years.

With the exception of Nevada, everything is moving south. Liberal states are losing, little by little. Imagine that.

I haven't studied the census results myself, but from what I've heard on the news it would indeed seem that people and businesses are on a southward migration. Can't really say as I blame them. I had to flee California myself. That state has gone stark staring mad.

I can't speak for the others states that are gaining seats, but Texas has a few things going for it that other states don't. No state income tax is one of them.

TexasBlue wrote:I can't speak for the others states that are gaining seats, but Texas has a few things going for it that other states don't. No state income tax is one of them.

Yep! That is really a key one. Right-to-work laws are another. I am hoping our new governor will see to fit to at least rectify the latter and make ours a right-to-work state.

dblboggie wrote:

TexasBlue wrote:I can't speak for the others states that are gaining seats, but Texas has a few things going for it that other states don't. No state income tax is one of them.

Yep! That is really a key one. Right-to-work laws are another. I am hoping our new governor will see to fit to at least rectify the latter and make ours a right-to-work state.

You can bet Kasich will try to implement that.

I've lived in a right to work state and live in the opposite here. I had to join the union in my old job here or not take the job.

Union pay is good. But the cost of living is higher in Minnesota and it offsets what Texas had when I lived there.

TexasBlue wrote:

dblboggie wrote:

TexasBlue wrote:I can't speak for the others states that are gaining seats, but Texas has a few things going for it that other states don't. No state income tax is one of them.

Yep! That is really a key one. Right-to-work laws are another. I am hoping our new governor will see to fit to at least rectify the latter and make ours a right-to-work state.

You can bet Kasich will try to implement that.

I've lived in a right to work state and live in the opposite here. I had to join the union in my old job here or not take the job.

Union pay is good. But the cost of living is higher in Minnesota and it offsets what Texas had when I lived there.

Yeah, I spoke with him a while back (before the election) and he said he was for right-to-work, but then he has steep hill to climb in this state in making that a reality. You can bet I'll be on his ass about it.

Thankfully, I have never had a job that required union membership. And if I have my way, I never will. The only exception would be if I get an opportunity to get back into broadcasting - though chances aren't real high for that.