Two black lawmakers support GOP-led reapportionment amendment

Despite the NAACP's opposition, two top black lawmakers supported a Republican-led constitutional amendment Friday that was drafted in response to two liberal-leaning amendments that would check the Legislature's power as it draws political boundaries.

Sen. Gary Siplin, the black caucus leader, and Sen. Al Lawson, Senate Democratic leader, said they felt the new constitutional amendment protected minority voting rights.

The amendments are all surfacing this year because, in 2012, the Legislature will begin the once-a-decade process of redrawing political legislative and congressional districts to ensure each has an equal population. The amendments would need to be approved by 60 percent of voters.

Siplin said he was concerned that two other constitutional amendments pushed by the group Fair Districts Florida could endanger seats held by black lawmakers in Congress and the Legislature. So he helped write the new proposed amendment to add language concerning ``communities of interest'' and minorities to the Constitution.

``I just want to make sure there's language that protects us, people who look like me,'' Siplin said. He co-sponsored the amendment with future Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who chairs the Reapportionment Committee where the proposal passed 9-3, with Democrats opposed.

Ellen Freidin, Fair Districts chairwoman, said Haridopolos is leading a campaign of misinformation to confuse voters over the two Fair Districts amendments. One concerns congressional seats and affects the Legislature. The NAACP, which has backed the Fair Districts amendments, called the new Republican proposal supported by Siplin and Lawson ``a sham'' in a letter sent Wednesday to Haridopolos and his House counterpart, Dean Cannon.

Freidin pointed to language in the Fair Districts amendments that specifically protects minority voters. The amendments say political districts ``shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice.''

The amendment offered by Siplin and Haridopolos says lawmakers shall only ``take into consideration'' minority issues. And that, Freidin says, weakens her group's amendments.

``It's a power grab,'' she said.

The support of Siplin and Lawson was a coup for Haridopolos and the Republican leadership, who have sought to weaken Fair Districts for years. Fair Districts drafted the amendments to prevent the Legislature -- controlled by the GOP -- from favoring a political party or an incumbent when lawmakers redraw the boundaries of congressional and legislative seats.

Known as ``redistricting'' and ``reapportionment,'' the process occurs every 10 years after the Census. During redistricting, the majority party tries to strengthen its hand and the minority party inevitably sues.

Two decades ago, when Lawson was first serving, black Democrats who felt they were left out by their party aligned themselves with Republicans, helping to precipitate the GOP takeover of the Legislature.

Haridopolos said months of testimony and examination show that the Fair Districts amendments are unworkable and a recipe for a court fight.

He also pointed out that no one from Fair Districts -- a group member has only testified once in his committee -- spoke Friday.

Marc Caputo can be reached at mcaputo@Mia miHerald.com