Pa. Const. art. II, § 17
(b) The commission shall consist of five members: four of whom shall be the majority and minority leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or deputies appointed by each of them, and a chairman selected as hereinafter provided. No later than 60 days following the official reporting of the Federal decennial census as required by Federal law, the four members shall be certified by the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the elections officer of the Commonwealth who under law shall have supervision over elections.
The four members within 45 days after their certification shall select the fifth member, who shall serve as chairman of the commission, and shall immediately certify his name to such elections officer. The chairman shall be a citizen of the Commonwealth other than a local, State or Federal official holding an office to which compensation is attached.
If the four members fail to select the fifth member within the time prescribed, a majority of the entire membership of the Supreme Court within 30 days thereafter shall appoint the chairman as aforesaid and certify his appointment to such elections officer.
Any vacancy in the commission shall be filled within 15 days in the same manner in which such position was originally filled.
(c) No later than 90 days after either the commission has been duly certified or the population data for the Commonwealth as determined by the Federal decennial census are available, whichever is later in time, the commission shall file a preliminary reapportionment plan with such elections officer.
The commission shall have 30 days after filing the preliminary plan to make corrections in the plan.
Any person aggrieved by the preliminary plan shall have the same 30-day period to file exceptions with the commission in which case the commission shall have 30 days after the date the exceptions were filed to prepare and file with such elections officer a revised reapportionment plan. If no exceptions are filed within 30 days, or if filed and acted upon, the commission's plan shall be final and have the force of law.
(i) Any reapportionment plan filed by the commission, or ordered or prepared by the Supreme Court upon the failure of the commission to act, shall be published by the elections officer once in at least one newspaper of general circulation in each senatorial and representative district. The publication shall contain a map of the Commonwealth showing the complete reapportionment of the General Assembly by districts, and a map showing the reapportionment districts in the area normally served by the newspaper in which the publication is made. The publication shall also state the population of the senatorial and representative districts having the smallest and largest population and the percentage variation of such districts from the average population for senatorial and representative districts.
2021 Correction. The reference to "commission's" in the second paragraph of subsec. (c) was incorrect. The Legislative Reference Bureau effectuated the correction.
(Apr. 23, 1968, P.L.App.3, Prop. No.2; Nov. 3, 1981, P.L.601, J.R.1; May 15, 2001, 2000 P.L.1057, J.R.1)
2001 Amendment. Joint Resolution No.1 of 2000 relettered subsec. (f) to subsec. (g), subsec. (g) to subsec. (h) and subsec. (h) to subsec. (i) and added a new subsec. (f).
1981 Amendment. Joint Resolution No.1 amended subsecs. (a) and (b).
1968 Amendment. Proposal No.2 amended and renumbered former section 18 to present section 17. The schedule to Proposal No.2 provided that section 17, if approved by the electorate voting on April 23, 1968, shall become effective the year following that in which the next Federal decennial census is officially reported as required by Federal law.
Prior Provisions. Former section 17 was amended and consolidated with present section 16 by amendment of April 23, 1968, P.L.App.3, Prop. No.1.