HARRISBURG -- The five-member Legislative Reapportionment Commission met for fewer minutes than the panel numbers on Wednesday and recessed without presenting any proposed legislative district maps. The group will reconvene on Tuesday but using anything other than the 2001 lines for the scheduled April 24 primary election is now mathematically impossible.

That bipartisan panel comprised of House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa and Judge Stephen McEwen Jr., met Wednesday at 1 p.m., approved minutes from its last meeting and included a brief comment from McEwen, the group’s chairman.

He said while the members have been working hard to draft new maps for Pennsylvania’s 203 House and 50 Senate districts, “it has come close but we’re not there yet.”

The panel recessed until Tuesday at 1 p.m. at which time it will consider approving new maps, which under state law would need to be available for public review and comment for 30 days before a final vote is taken to adopt them. Then a 30 day period allowing legal challenges would begin, taking the timing past the April 24 primary election.

There’s nothing to prevent the legislature from voting to delay the primary election, but that doesn’t seem likely, according to a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Chester.

“Given the uncertainty that exists regarding the timetable for adopting a new General Assembly redistricting plan, we do not intend to move any legislation which would change the primary date. Also, it does not appear likely that a new plan can be in place (including the public comment period and the time necessary for the court to review any exceptions) prior to April 24,” said Erik Arneson.

Moving the primary into May or June would be difficult logistically for election officials, too.

“That would be a very difficult timetable to meet,” said Ronald G. Ruman, press secretary for the Department of State. He said until it hears otherwise, his office is moving along with plans for the primary election to take place April 24 and using 2001 approved boundaries for all 253 districts.

“I don’t see any other scenario,” Ruman said. But he noted his office will follow the actions of the legislature.

“Whatever they put into law, we would follow it,” Ruman said.

While there has been some discussion by state Republican leaders about potential appeals to a federal court ruling that kept the 2001 boundaries in place, nothing has been filed and the election date keeps getting closer.

“If need be, the primary could be moved, but it is not what is being advocated,” said Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods.