WILLIAMS SPEAKS IN OPPOSITION TO REPUBLICAN REDISTRICTING PLAN

Specifically addresses the plan’s impact on Montgomery County

HARRISBURG, April 16, 2002 -- State Sen. Constance H. Williams spoke on the Senate floor yesterday in opposition to the revised version of the Republican reapportionment plan.

Senate Republicans proceeded to shoot down a Democratic plan that united communities and upheld the state's national prestige.

In effect, the Republicans squandered an opportunity to pass a congressional reapportionment plan that's fair to Pennsylvanians.

"The voices of Montgomery County have been dishearteningly splintered by the Republicans’ redistricting plan," said Williams (D-Montgomery/Delaware) in her floor remarks.

"The Republicans’ plan splits the county into six shards in an effort to ‘divide and conquer’ the people."

The federal court set forth several standards of fairness in its decision, and the proposed Democratic map not only met every one of those standards, it did so with no population deviation between districts.

However, under the Republican plan, Williams said, "The needs of Montgomery County will be no one’s priority because the voters will not be classified as the ‘bread and butter of one of the six districts that they have been forced into."

"At the very least, I am grateful that the Republicans have not mangled Delaware County in the way that they mangled Montgomery County."