California state lawmakers have started a series of legislative hearings to advance a partisan plan aimed at winning Democrats five more House seats.

Republicans in the Texas House forced returning Democrats to sign what the Democrats called “permission slips,” agreeing to around-the-clock surveillance.

Governor Gavin Newsom has rallied enough support from local Democratic leaders to plow ahead with a controversial initiative to redraw California’s congressional maps. A key next task: tapping the state’s wealthy to help sell the plan to voters.

California Republicans sue to stop Democrat redistricting push as Texas GOP advances similar map changes in high-stakes congressional battle ahead of midterms.