Reapportionment is right around the corner.

• Position: STATESTATS

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Preparations for the 2010 census are in high gear with the decennial head count just over a year away. In December, the U.S. Census Bureau released new state-by-state population estimates for 2008 hinting at what the 2010 census is likely to show. Indications are that Southern and Western states are continuing to grow, while population growth rates in the Midwest and Northeast have slowed to a crawl.

How many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives, known as reapportionment, is determined by entering state population totals into a formula established by federal law. Reapportionment will take place after the Bureau releases the 2010 census data by Dec. 31, 2010. Redistricting, the actual drawing of new districts using detailed population data from the census, will start after the Census Bureau delivers data to states no later than April 2011.

Looking at 2008 state population estimates, Texas looks to be the big winner, perhaps gaining as many as three seats in the U.S. House. If the 2010 census tracks with the 2008 state estimates, this would be the first time that California's congressional strength has not grown since it gained statehood in 1850.

The state estimates do not reflect the effect of the current economic recession on population trends. It will be vital for legislators and state officials to promote participation in the census to guarantee that each state receives its fair share of representation and federal funding.

As State Legislatures went to press, a bill was moving through Congress, and expected to pass, that would grant the District of Columbia a voting member in the U.S. House and expand the total number of House seats to 437. Until the new...