By Bob Katzen

The House and Senate both approved an order creating a 28-member special joint committee to draw Massachusetts legislative and congressional districts for the 2022 election based on the 2020 U.S.

Census results. Redistricting is required every 10 years and was last done in 2011 for the 2012 election. Democrat Senate President Karen Spilka will appoint seven senators including six Democrats and one Republican while Democrat House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) will choose 17 Democratic representatives and four Republican ones.

The committee will hold hearings across the state and solicit input from citizens and groups. The plan must be approved by both branches and signed by the governor in order to take effect. The U.S. Census Bureau announced a six-month delay from March 31 to September 30, 2021 on delivering redistricting data to the 50 states. This could delay action by the committee.