Jim Rosica
U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, a likely casualty of congressional redistricting, will be in the state capital this morning to announce “new legislation aimed at helping pregnant mothers and babies,” a news release from her office said.
Graham, a Tallahassee Democrat, will take a tour of Capital Area Healthy Start, an organization that prevents infant deaths by helping at-risk mothers.
Graham’s bill, the Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act, aims to provide “a much-needed focus on maternity care quality and health outcomes for mothers and infants.”
Graham, elected just last year, faces a tough political future resulting from a court case over gerrymandering in congressional redistricting.
The Florida Supreme Court ordered U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown‘s district, which now runs north-south from Jacksonville from Sanford, to be redrawn “in an east-west manner.”
That would stretch it into Graham’s territory, almost certainly taking away Democratic votes in Gadsden and Leon counties.
Versions of new congressional districts meant to follow the court’s direction resulted in a district that Graham would be likely to lose.
The Florida Legislature ended a Special Session last week convened to redraw the map but ended without any agreement on final new boundary lines.
Circuit Judge Terry Lewis is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday at 3 p.m. to figure out next steps in the redistricting case.
Meantime, the Florida House filed a motion asking the court for more time to come up with a temporary fix to the map until lawmakers can pass a new one.
“Judicial proceedings to establish a redistricting plan should be conducted without prejudice to the inherent authority of the Legislature at any time during or after those proceedings to reconvene and enact valid redistricting legislation,” the House’s filing said.
Any plan “adopted by the Court should expressly be an interim or provisional plan that will remain in place only until superseded by subsequent legislation,” it added.
The message is clear: The House, at least, doesn’t want the courts to draw the lines. More to come …
