North Texans will have a chance to speak on plans to redraw the state鈥檚 U.S. House districts.
The Texas House鈥檚 redistricting committee will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. July 28 at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Lawmakers are looking to change the map after President Donald Trump said he wanted to keep the Republican majority in the U.S. House. The Legislature last redistricted the state in 2021 following the 2020 U.S. census.
Gov. Greg Abbott initiated the special session to tackle a slate of issues that he picked.
Each individual鈥檚 testimony at the hearing will be restricted to two minutes per speaker. The public testimony portion of the hearing will be held to five hours in total, according to a released by the committee.
If you go
What: Texas House redistricting committee public hearing
When: 5 p.m. July 28
Where: Rosebud Theater in the E.H. Hereford University Center at the University of Texas at Arlington, 300 W. First St.
If you plan to speak: All who wish to give testimony in person regarding the redistricting plan must reach out to the committee鈥檚 clerk, Edward Jaax, at 512-463-9948.
The hearing will focus on 14 of the 38 congressional districts in Texas, but speakers are allowed to focus on any region, according to the notice. Half of the 14 districts include pieces of Tarrant County.
Three state House members from Tarrant County are on the redistricting committee:
- Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth
- Rep. John McQueeney, R-Fort Worth
- Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tapped Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, to chair the Senate鈥檚 redistricting committee. King represents large swaths of Tarrant County, including parts of Fort Worth.
Trump wants to gain five U.S. House seats in Texas.
鈥淭here could be some other states where we are gonna get another three, four or five in addition,鈥� Trump said on July 16. 鈥淭exas would be the biggest one and that鈥檒l be five.鈥�
Democrats have already begun to push back against the plan, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is considering in the nation鈥檚 biggest blue state.
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, said that the redistricting attempt is 鈥渁 craven power grab.鈥� The Department of Justice has called , including Veasey鈥檚, as illegal because they feature largely nonwhite voters, The Dallas Morning News reported.
鈥淟et me be clear: I will not stand by while this state becomes a testing ground for Trump鈥檚 authoritarian fantasies,鈥� Veasey said in a July 9 statement. 鈥淲e will fight this assault in the courts, in the streets and at the ballot box.鈥�
U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Weatherford, did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. His district covers central Arlington and UT-Arlington.
Chris Moss is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@fortworthreport.org.
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