Back to Business PA Statement on PA House Bill 2207

Central to a well-functioning democracy is the principle that voters get to choose their representatives, rather than allowing lawmakers to choose their voters. This is why we strongly oppose the General Assembly’s recent legislative decision to interfere with the integrity of the redistricting process through the introduction of HB 2207.

This legislation usurps an important democratic process — the longstanding bipartisan system led by the existing Legislative Redistricting Commission (LRC) —of drawing maps and ensuring fair and equal representation for Commonwealth residents. If HB 2077 passes, its proposed Commission would be led by political appointees, have a smaller window to approve new district maps, and would no longer require consideration from the Governor. Nor would it provide for membership of Independent and third-party voters. Worse yet, if the proposed Commission fails to reach consensus, HB 2207 would allow the State Legislature to write its own maps with only a simple majority to approve.

The LRC has served Pennsylvania well in a bipartisan manner and ensured the voices of Pennsylvania voters are heard throughout the redistricting processes. We call upon the State Legislature to stop such partisan efforts and instead focus on confronting the real economic challenges — labor shortages, supply chain issues, and skyrocketing new Omicron-variant cases — facing Pennsylvania businesses. We urge the State Legislature to reject HB 2207 and get to work on things that matter to the people of PA.
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To learn more, visit bfa.us/back-to-business-pa.
For more information, contact Jabari Jones, WPPC at Jabari.Jones@westphillycc.org and Doug Murray, Business for America at Doug@bfa.us.