South Carolina senators have opened debate on how to draw district lines for a new, seventh U.S. House seat.
Debate began Thursday and is expected to extend through next week as the Senate hears competing plans for how those seven districts should be drawn.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Glenn McConnell wanted lawmakers to work from a plan that puts the new seat in South Carolina's northeastern corner around Myrtle Beach, Florence and counties near the state line with North Carolina.
The Senate voted 19-19 on that proposal as a starting point and Lt. Gov. Ken Ard broke the tie to adopt the proposal.
Redistricting is required every decade to account for population shifts in the Census. Population gains gave South Carolina a new House seat.
