Florida Senate - 2010                                    SJR 598
       
       
       
       By Senator Bennett
       
       
       
       
       21-00605-10                                            2010598__
    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 the term limits that apply to
    6         State Senators and State Representatives and to impose
    7         term limits on elected county and municipal officers.
    8  
    9  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         That the following amendments to Section 15 of Article III
   12  and Section 4 of Article VI and the creation of a new Section in
   13  Article XII of the State Constitution are agreed to and shall be
   14  submitted to the electors of this state for approval or
   15  rejection at the next general election or at an earlier special
   16  election specifically authorized by law for that purpose:
   17                             ARTICLE III                           
   18                             LEGISLATURE                           
   19         SECTION 15. Terms and qualifications of legislators.—
   20         (a) SENATORS. Senators shall be elected for staggered terms
   21  of six four years. The legislature must divide the senate
   22  districts as evenly as possible into three classes, those from
   23  odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of which are
   24  multiples of four and those from even-numbered districts in
   25  even-numbered years the numbers of which are not multiples of
   26  four; except, at the election next following a reapportionment,
   27  some senators shall be elected for terms of two years when
   28  necessary to maintain staggered terms.
   29         (b) REPRESENTATIVES. Members of the house of
   30  representatives shall be elected for terms of four two years,
   31  those from odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of
   32  which are multiples of four and those from even-numbered
   33  districts in even-numbered years the numbers of which are not
   34  multiples of four in each even-numbered year.
   35         (c) QUALIFICATIONS. Each legislator shall be at least
   36  twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the district
   37  from which elected and shall have resided in the state for a
   38  period of two years prior to election.
   39         (d) ASSUMING OFFICE; VACANCIES. Members of the legislature
   40  shall take office upon election. Vacancies in legislative office
   41  shall be filled only by election as provided by law.
   42                             ARTICLE VI                            
   43                       SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS                      
   44         SECTION 4. Disqualifications.—
   45         (a) A No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in
   46  this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, is not shall
   47  be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil
   48  rights or removal of disability.
   49         (b) A No person may not appear on the ballot for re
   50  election as a senator, representative, county officer, or
   51  municipal officer if, by the end of the current term of office,
   52  the person will have served (or, but for resignation, would have
   53  served) in that office for twelve consecutive years. to any of
   54  the following offices:
   55         (1)Florida representative,
   56         (2)Florida senator,
   57         (c)(3)A person may not appear on the ballot for re
   58  election as the Florida Lieutenant governor, or
   59         (4) any office of the Florida cabinet office,
   60         (5)U.S. Representative from Florida, or
   61         (6)U.S. Senator from Florida
   62  
   63  if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will
   64  have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that
   65  office for eight consecutive years.
   66                             ARTICLE XII                           
   67                              SCHEDULE                             
   68         Implementation of amendments relating to the terms of
   69  certain elected officials.—
   70         (a)The amendments to Section 15 of Article III and Section
   71  4 of Article VI and the creation of this section shall take
   72  effect upon approval by the electors.
   73         (b)During the organizational session following the 2010
   74  general election, the Legislature shall implement the amendment
   75  to subsection (a) of Section 15 of Article III by law. Under the
   76  implementing legislation, senators elected during the 2010
   77  general election shall be elected to terms of at least four
   78  years. The terms of senators having two years remaining to their
   79  terms on the date of the general election may be extended by two
   80  years.
   81         (c)Those representatives elected in odd-numbered districts
   82  in the 2010 general election shall be elected to terms of two
   83  years. Those representatives elected in even-numbered districts
   84  in the 2010 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 AMENDMENTS                    
   89                       ARTICLE III, SECTION 15                     
   90                        ARICLE VI, SECTION 4                       
   91                             ARTICLE XII                           
   92         TERMS OF STATE SENATORS, STATE REPRESENTATIVES, AND ELECTED
   93  COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL OFFICERS.—The State Constitution provides
   94  that State Senators are elected to terms of 4 years and State
   95  Representatives are elected to terms of 2 years. The State
   96  Constitution also generally limits State Senators and State
   97  Representatives to serving 8 consecutive years in office.
   98  However, the State Constitution does not limit the number of
   99  consecutive years in office that may be served by a county or
  100  municipal officer.
  101         This amendment lengthens the terms of State Senators to 6
  102  years and the terms of State Representatives to 4 years. The
  103  amendment also generally limits State Senators, State
  104  Representatives, and elected county and municipal officers to 12
  105  consecutive years in office. However, the amendment does not
  106  change the length of the term of any elected county or municipal
  107  office.