Panel works to draw new Mo. Senate districts

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A bipartisan commission is meeting in Jefferson City to draw new boundaries for Missouri's 34 state Senate districts.

The 10-member panel was meeting into the evening Wednesday about a block from the state Capitol. Republican and Democratic commission members have been holding separate discussions about different proposed maps.

This is the second attempt to develop new Senate districts based on the results of the 2010 census. A different bipartisan panel deadlocked last year and failed to agree on a map, and a special panel of appellate judges then handled the task. But the Missouri Supreme Court in January rejected that map, which required the process to start over.

Candidates can start filing next week for this year's elections.