Local House, Senate districts to change

Big changes to Iowa's legislative districts were approved last week by state lawmakers.

Redistricting by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency is required every 10 years to reflect the results of the U.S. Census. The Iowa Legislature rejected the first set of maps in early October; however, the second set was given the green light last Thursday by the Senate (48-1) and House (93-2).

Gov. Kim Reynolds signaled her endorsement of the new boundaries upon their approval.

"[The] decision by the Iowa Legislature to approve the second draft of the legislative and congressional redistricting maps is very encouraging," she said. "I am confident in how the process played out – just as the law intended, and I believe these new districts will fairly and accurately represent the citizens of Iowa for the next decade."

The redrawn maps will be used starting with next year's election. Under the new setup, O'Brien County will be part of House District 5 and Senate District 3. It will remain in the Fourth Congressional District, which is currently held by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull.

House District 5 includes all of Osceola and O'Brien counties as well as parts of Cherokee and Buena Vista counties. No sitting state representatives currently reside within its boundaries.

Senate District 3 includes all of Osceola, O'Brien and Buena Vista counties, as well as parts of Cherokee and Clay counties. No sitting state senators currently reside within its boundaries.

Clay County will have split representation in both the House and Senate.

House District 10 includes all of Dickinson and Palo Alto counties as well as portions of Clay and Kossuth counties. In Clay County, its boundaries include the City of Everly and Freeman, Lake, Meadow, Sioux, Summit and Waterford townships. Current District 1 Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, resides in the new district.

House District 6 includes the remaining portion of Clay County, including Spencer and Royal, as well as portions of Buena Vista County, including Sioux Rapids and Storm Lake. Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids, and Rep. Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake, reside in the district; however, Worthan intends to retire after the 2022 session comes to a close.

The same portion of Clay County included in House District 10 will be included in Senate District 5. The rest of Clay County is included in Senate District 3. There are no sitting senators in either district.

Jones currently represents all of Clay County in District 2. There is no senator representing the county in the senate, as Zach Whiting, R-Spirit Lake, resigned from his District 1 seat on Oct. 30.

O'Brien County is currently represented by Rep. Dennis Bush, R-Cleghorn, in House District 3 and Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, in Senate District 2.