Bill Overview
Title: To permit Members of the House of Representatives to use the Members' Representational Allowance to continue to provide services for casework projects on behalf of former constituents who no longer reside in the Member's congressional district as the result of congressional redistricting.
Description: This bill allows Members of the House of Representatives to use their Representational Allowance to provide continuing casework services during the first session of a new Congress to an individual who is no longer a constituent because of a congressional redistricting plan. The Representational Allowance provides funds to Members for operating their offices and carrying out their official and representational duties.
Sponsors: Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-36]
Target Audience
Population: Individuals in the US affected by congressional redistricting
Estimated Size: 1000000
- Congressional redistricting occurs every 10 years following the census, impacting the district boundaries of all House Members. This means many individuals could find themselves in a new district without change of residence.
- Casework typically includes helping constituents with federal matters such as social security issues, immigration concerns, veterans' affairs, and other bureaucratic hurdles.
- The primary population affected will be individuals who have existing casework projects with their former Member of Congress and are now in a new district due to redistricting.
- Such redistricting can affect tens of thousands of people in each state, depending on how district lines are redrawn.
Reasoning
- The target population is those affected by congressional redistricting, specifically individuals who lose their previous congressional representative but have ongoing casework or need arising around the transition. We are looking at typical federal issues such as social security and immigration that require continuing support.
- Given Congressional redistricting can affect many people, the direct impact will depend on the state and the nature of the redistricting. Considering budget constraints and the nationwide nature of the policy, not everyone affected will receive immediate support.
- Many individuals in rural or less populated areas may receive lower impact because fewer people are drawing from budget-limited help processes in those places.
Simulated Interviews
school teacher (Orlando, FL)
Age: 54 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I appreciate that there will be some support to help navigate through federal casework during this redistricting period, especially with my husband's Social Security case.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
construction worker (Houston, TX)
Age: 35 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I moved recently and my immigration case has been a headache; if I can continue to get help from my previous representative's office, it would be a relief.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
freelancer (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Redistricting shouldn't disrupt my federal tax credits assistance; glad to see some continuity through this bill.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
retired (Detroit, MI)
Age: 62 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Veterans like me need ongoing support with endless paperwork, it's important this help continues smoothly.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
small business owner (Portland, OR)
Age: 48 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's good to know I won't be left hanging with my current federal grant applications even if my district has changed.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
IT professional (Chicago, IL)
Age: 43 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 6.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Having moved recently, it's a relief that federal family aid disputes will still be handled by my previous rep's office.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
graduate student (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 30 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Continuing support for resolving my loans is needed, district split came at a bad time for me.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
retired (San Diego, CA)
Age: 70 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I hope this policy ensures no disruptions to my Medicare services due to the redistricting.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
non-profit manager (Topeka, KS)
Age: 50 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Glad to know my advocacy efforts won’t be reset because of redistricting impacts.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
tech startup founder (New York, NY)
Age: 27 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's reassuring that my federal grant application files don't have to start over due to district shifting.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $5000000 (Low: $2000000, High: $10000000)
Year 2: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 3: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 5: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- The policy is temporary and applies only during the first session of a new Congress.
- This addresses a specific constituency issue arising from redistricting, without altering the overall budget size.
- Minimal fiscal impact is expected as the policy redistributes existing allowances.
- The effectiveness depends on individual Members' capacity and willingness to engage additional casework.