TAKE ACTION: Write to the Texas House Corrections Committee to hold a hearing for HB 3463!

Prison Gerrymandering is the practice of counting incarcerated individuals for the purposes of representation at their place of incarceration as opposed to their last recorded residence. Here are some facts about the issue:

• Although most incarcerated Texans come from the state's metropolitan areas, they are often confined in rural communities. As a matter of convenience, these prisoners are counted as residents of these rural areas, providing increased political power without the ability to make their voices heard. 

• Prison Gerrymandering inflates political power in rural communities while depleting resources from Texas's metropolitan areas, where many prisoners will return upon release.

• The federal Census Bureau has implemented new processes to more accurately collect prisoner residence data and help state legislatures remedy this issue.

HB 3463 is a bill filed by Rep. Jasmine Crocket (D-100) that would effectively put an end to the practice of prison gerrymandering. You can read the full bill here. The first step to getting a bill through the legislative process is to make sure it gets a hearing in the Committee that it's been referred to. In this case, HB 3463 is in the Corrections Committee. 

Tell the Committee members that HB 3463 deserves a hearing!