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Tennessee redistricting starts; focus on Nashville-area boom

Tennessee State Capitol
Posted at 9:38 PM, Sep 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-08 22:38:29-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican supermajority Legislature has begun work on the once-a-decade task of carving up new legislative and congressional districts based on population shifts.

On Wednesday, the House redistricting committee heard testimony from Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper not to divide fast-growing Nashville into different U.S. House seats.

The 16-member House redistricting committee includes four Democrats. Republican Lt. Gov. Randy McNally's office says he plans to announce the Senate redistricting panel later this month.

The map proposals will be taken up in the 2022 legislative session that begins in January. Republican Gov. Bill Lee has veto power over the finalized plan, but he’s not expected to put up many objections.