Bipartisan New York lawmakers introduce bills to bar mid-decade redistricting
Representatives Tom Suozzi and Mike Lawler have filed four bipartisan bills that would prohibit congressional redistricting between censuses and require independent citizen commissions.
In a coordinated effort, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus introduced four federal bills to eliminate mid-decade congressional redistricting and standardize map-drawing across the nation. Co-chairs Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat, and Rep. Mike Lawler, a Hudson Valley Republican, say the TRUST Act would restrict redistricting to the ten-year census schedule, while the MAPS Act would require independent citizen commissions and prohibit partisan considerations.
The proposals echo ten states that have already embedded such bans in their constitutions. Suozzi emphasized that the plan would take politics out of the process and rebuild public trust, whereas Lawler warned that allowing legislators to redraw maps undermines democratic principles. The initiative follows New York’s Democratic-controlled Legislature’s recent plan to let voters decide on 2027 redistricting changes that could benefit Democrats, sparking a broader national debate over partisan map-making ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
