Bill Text: FL S0946 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: State Senators and State Representatives
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-05-02 - Died in Ethics and Elections [S0946 Detail]
Download: Florida-2014-S0946-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2014 SJR 946 By Senator Grimsley 21-01272-14 2014946__ 1 Senate Joint Resolution 2 A joint resolution proposing amendments to Section 15 3 of Article III and Section 4 of Article VI and the 4 creation of a new section in Article XII of the State 5 Constitution to revise terms of state senators and 6 state representatives and revise limits on the period 7 for which a person may be elected as a state senator 8 or state representative. 9 10 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 That the following amendments to Section 15 of Article III 13 and Section 4 of Article VI and the creation of a new section in 14 Article XII of the State Constitution are agreed to and shall be 15 submitted to the electors of this state for approval or 16 rejection at the next general election or at an earlier special 17 election specifically authorized by law for that purpose, 18 effective upon approval by the electors: 19 ARTICLE III 20 LEGISLATURE 21 SECTION 15. Terms and qualifications of legislators.— 22 (a) SENATORS. Senators shall be elected for staggered terms 23 of sixfouryears. The legislature must divide the senate 24 districts as evenly as possible into three classes, those from25odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of which are26multiples of four and those from even-numbered districts in27even-numbered years the numbers of which are not multiples of28four; except, at the election next following a reapportionment,29some senators shall be elected for terms of two years when30necessaryto maintain staggered terms. 31 (b) REPRESENTATIVES. Members of the house of 32 representatives shall be elected for terms of fourtwoyears, 33 those from odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of 34 which are multiples of four and those from even-numbered 35 districts in even-numbered years the numbers of which are not 36 multiples of fourin each even-numbered year. 37 (c) QUALIFICATIONS. Each legislator shall be at least 38 twenty-one years of age and,an elector and resident of the 39 district from which elected and shall have resided in the state 40 for a period of two years prior to election. 41 (d) ASSUMING OFFICE; VACANCIES. Members of the legislature 42 shall take office upon election. Vacancies in legislative office 43 shall be filled only by election as provided by law. 44 ARTICLE VI 45 SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS 46 SECTION 4. Disqualifications.— 47 (a) ANoperson convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in 48 this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, is notshall49bequalified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil 50 rights or removal of disability. 51 (b) ANoperson may not appear on the ballot for re 52 election as a senator or representative if, by the end of the 53 current term of office, the person will have served (or, but for 54 resignation, would have served) in that office for twelve 55 consecutive years.re-election to any of the following offices:56(1) Florida representative,57(2) Florida senator,58 (c)(3)A person may not appear on the ballot for reelection 59 to the office ofFloridalieutenant governor, 60(4)anyoffice of the Floridacabinet office, or the office 61 of, 62(5)U.S. Representative from Florida,or 63(6)U.S. Senator from Florida 64 if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will 65 have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that 66 office for eight consecutive years. 67 ARTICLE XII 68 SCHEDULE 69 Implementation of amendments relating to the terms of 70 certain elected officials.— 71 (a) The amendments to Section 15 of Article III and Section 72 4 of Article VI and the creation of this section shall take 73 effect upon approval by the electors. 74 (b) During the organization session following the 2014 75 general election, the legislature shall implement the amendment 76 to Section 15(a) of Article II by law. Under the implementing 77 legislation, senators elected during the 2014 general election 78 shall be elected to terms of at least four years. The terms of 79 senators having two years remaining to their terms on the date 80 of the general election may be extended by two years. 81 (c) The representatives elected in even-numbered districts 82 in the 2014 general election shall be elected to terms of two 83 years. Those representatives elected in odd-numbered districts 84 in the 2014 general election shall be elected to terms of four 85 years. 86 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be 87 placed on the ballot: 88 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 89 ARTICLE III, SECTION 15 90 ARTICLE VI, SECTION 4 91 ARTICLE XII 92 TERMS OF STATE SENATORS AND STATE REPRESENTATIVES. 93 Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution, effective 94 immediately upon approval, to increase the terms for which state 95 senators are elected from 4 years to 6 years, increase the terms 96 for which state representatives are elected from 2 years to 4 97 years, and increase limits on the period for which a person may 98 be elected as state senator or state representative, generally 99 from 8 consecutive years to 12 consecutive years.