Redistricting is a subject that can get lawmakers’ blood boiling, their hearts racing and their dander up.

Unfortunately, Texas voters are less passionate about the redistricting process, showing little interest until the partisanship and fractiousness that always results during redistricting makes headlines.

The last time Texas went through the redistricting process, the Texas Legislature became such a laughingstock that Jay Leno made jokes about it on TV. I don’t want that to happen again.

On March 2, a bill that would change the method whereby we redraw Congressional district lines had its first public hearing before the Senate Committee on State Affairs. Senate Bill 315, which I authored, would bring to an end the divisive and highly partisan exercise that inevitably results in bad blood, expensive lawsuits, and gerrymandered Congressional districts, which are a disservice to Texans.

Travis County, for example, was gerrymandered into three Congressional districts during the last redistricting process. This three-way separation of a single community of interest was unfair to both Travis County residents and those who live in the other counties that make up the Congressional districts.

In addition to separating communities of interest, gerrymandering protects incumbents. Protected incumbencies discourage challengers, so voters’ choices could be limited to a “token” challenger or to no choice at all.

Since both political parties have proven conclusively that they are unable to resist the gerrymandering urge, Senate Bill 315 would create an independent bipartisan commission that I believe will bring a sense of balance and a semblance of fairness to redistricting. An independent commission also will allow the Legislature to attend to critical issues during a redistricting session, such as the one coming up in 2011, instead of indulging in bitter wrangling over Congressional districts.

The bill calls for Republican members of the Texas Senate to select two citizens, for Democrat members of the Texas Senate to select two citizens and for the Texas House of Representatives to select four members in the same manner. At least two members of the eight-member commission would be from counties with relatively small populations. And none could be elected officials, political party officials or registered lobbyists. I have no doubt that each of the parties will choose members whose loyalty to their respective political party is as strong as horse radish. These eight Texans would select a non-voting ninth person to preside.

Together they will draw fair, legal Congressional districts and decide on a map by majority vote. In case of a tie, the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court would appoint another member to the commission, who could break the tie.

Twelve other states already do this or something similar, and it works.

The benefits of such a plan are obvious. The Texas Senate voted for an independent, bipartisan commission in 2005 and 2007. This year, if the bill passes both chambers and is signed by the Governor, Texans will no longer have to endure what we have gone through every 10 years for the past half century.