The proposed bill introduces the "Residence of Individuals in Government Custody Act," which aims to ensure that individuals in government custody are counted at their actual residences for redistricting purposes. The bill mandates the Department of Corrections to collect and maintain an electronic record of the legal residence and demographic data of individuals entering custody after January 1, 2026. This record will include the last known complete street address prior to incarceration, race, ethnicity, and age.

The Department of Corrections is required to report this information annually to the Division of Statewide Planning by May 1 of each year. The report must include the street address of the correctional facility, the last known address of the individual, and demographic information, while ensuring that the names of incarcerated individuals are kept confidential and not disclosed.

The Division of Statewide Planning is tasked with preparing redistricting population data that reflects incarcerated individuals at their residential addresses, rather than their places of incarceration. This data will be used to inform congressional, state, and local districting, ensuring that incarcerated populations are not misrepresented in population counts. The division must ensure that individuals are not counted in population totals for geographic units that do not include their legal residence.

The bill also includes provisions for annual reporting and analysis of the data submitted, detailing the completeness of records and any issues with geocoding. Additionally, the data prepared by the Division of Statewide Planning shall not be used in the distribution of any state or federal aid. The act includes a severability clause to maintain the validity of the remaining provisions if any part of the chapter is deemed invalid. The act will take effect upon passage.