CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2104

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Casas moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 1, lines 9 through 31, delete those lines,

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16  and insert:

17         Section 1.  Subsections (1) and (3) of section 101.161,

18  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

19         101.161  Referenda; ballots.--

20         (1)  Whenever a constitutional amendment or other

21  public measure is submitted to the vote of the people, the

22  substance of such amendment or other public measure shall be

23  printed in clear and unambiguous language on the ballot after

24  the list of candidates, followed by the word "yes" and also by

25  the word "no," and shall be styled in such a manner that a

26  "yes" vote will indicate approval of the proposal and a "no"

27  vote will indicate rejection.  The substance of the ballot

28  language proposed by joint resolution shall be deemed to be

29  clear and unambiguous for the purposes of this section. The

30  wording of the substance of the amendment or other public

31  measure and the ballot title to appear on the ballot shall be

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2104

    Amendment No.    





 1  embodied in the joint resolution, constitutional revision

 2  commission proposal, constitutional convention proposal,

 3  taxation and budget reform commission proposal, or enabling

 4  resolution or ordinance. Except for amendments and ballot

 5  language proposed by joint resolution, the substance of the

 6  amendment or other public measure shall be an explanatory

 7  statement, not exceeding 75 words in length, of the chief

 8  purpose of the measure.  The ballot title shall consist of a

 9  caption, not exceeding 15 words in length, by which the

10  measure is commonly referred to or spoken of.

11         (3)(a)  The ballot for the general election in the year

12  2000 must contain a statement allowing voters to determine

13  whether circuit or county court judges will be selected by

14  merit selection and retention as provided in s. 10, Art. V of

15  the State Constitution. The ballot in each circuit must

16  contain the statement in paragraph (c). The ballot in each

17  county must contain the statement in paragraph (e).

18         (b)  For any general election in which the Secretary of

19  State, for any circuit, or the supervisor of elections, for

20  any county, has certified the ballot position for an

21  initiative to change the method of selection of judges, the

22  ballot for any circuit must contain the statement in paragraph

23  (c) or paragraph (d) and the ballot for any county must

24  contain the statement in paragraph (e) or paragraph (f).

25         (c)  In any circuit where the initiative is to change

26  the selection of circuit court judges to selection by merit

27  selection and retention, the ballot shall state: "Shall the

28  method of selecting circuit court judges in the ...(number of

29  the circuit)... judicial circuit be changed from election by a

30  vote of the people to selection by the judicial nominating

31  commission and appointment by the Governor with subsequent

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2104

    Amendment No.    





 1  terms determined by a retention vote of the people selected

 2  through merit selection and retention?" This statement must be

 3  followed by the word "yes" and also by the word "no."

 4         (d)  In any circuit where the initiative is to change

 5  the selection of circuit court judges to election by the

 6  voters, the ballot shall state: "Shall the method of selecting

 7  circuit court judges in the ...(number of the circuit)...

 8  judicial circuit be changed from selection by the judicial

 9  nominating commission and appointment by the Governor with

10  subsequent terms determined by a retention vote of the people

11  to election by a vote of the people selected by vote of the

12  electorate of the circuit?" This statement must be followed by

13  the word "yes" and also by the word "no."

14         (e)  In any county where the initiative is to change

15  the selection of county court judges to merit selection and

16  retention, the ballot shall state: "Shall the method of

17  selecting county court judges in ...(name of county)... be

18  changed from election by a vote of the people to selection by

19  the judicial nominating commission and appointment by the

20  Governor with subsequent terms determined by a retention vote

21  of the people selected through merit selection and retention?"

22  This statement must be followed by the word "yes" and also by

23  the word "no."

24         (f)  In any county where the initiative is to change

25  the selection of county court judges to election by the

26  voters, the ballot shall state: "Shall the method of selecting

27  county court judges in ...(name of the county)... be changed

28  from selection by the judicial nominating commission and

29  appointment by the Governor with subsequent terms determined

30  by a retention vote of the people to election by a vote of the

31  people selected by vote of the electorate of the county?" This

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2104

    Amendment No.    





 1  statement must be followed by the word "yes" and also by the

 2  word "no."

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 5  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

 6  And the title is amended as follows:

 7         On page 1, lines 2 through 5, delete those lines,

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 9  and insert:

10         An act relating to referenda ballots; amending

11         s. 101.161, F.S.; providing an exception to

12         ballot statement and title length requirements;

13         revising ballot language used to change the

14         method of selecting circuit and county court

15         judges; providing an effective date.

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