Senate Bill sb1542c1

    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1542

    By the Committee on Ethics and Elections; and Senators Cowin
    and Lynn




    313-1988-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to elections; suspending

  3         operation of the second primary election until

  4         January 1, 2006; providing a date in 2004 by

  5         which candidates for Lieutenant Governor must

  6         be designated and qualified; providing campaign

  7         finance reporting dates and contribution limits

  8         for the 2004 elections; providing an effective

  9         date.

10  

11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

12  

13         Section 1.  (1)  Notwithstanding section 100.061,

14  Florida Statutes, for the year 2004, a primary election for

15  nomination of candidates of political parties shall be held on

16  the Tuesday 9 weeks prior to the general election. The

17  candidate receiving the highest number of the votes cast in

18  each contest in the primary election shall be declared

19  nominated for such office. If two or more persons receive an

20  equal and highest number of votes for the same office, such

21  persons shall draw lots to determine who shall receive the

22  nomination.

23         (2)  Notwithstanding section 100.091, Florida Statutes,

24  or any other provision of the Florida Election Code to the

25  contrary, there shall be no second primary election between

26  the effective date of this act and January 1, 2006.

27         (3)(a)  No later than 5 p.m. of the 9th day following

28  the primary election in 2004, each candidate for Governor

29  shall designate a Lieutenant Governor as a running mate.  Such

30  designation must be made in writing to the Department of

31  State.

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






    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1542
    313-1988-03




 1         (b)  No later than the time specified in paragraph (a),

 2  each designated candidate for Lieutenant Governor shall file

 3  with the Department of State the qualifying papers specified

 4  in section 99.063, Florida Statutes.

 5         (4)(a)  For the 2004 elections, following the last day

 6  of qualifying for office, reports pursuant to section 106.07,

 7  Florida Statutes, shall be filed on the 32nd, 18th, and 4th

 8  days immediately preceding the primary election and on the

 9  46th, 32nd, 18th, and 4th days immediately preceding the

10  general election.

11         (b)  For the 2004 elections, following the last day of

12  qualifying for office, any statewide candidate who has

13  requested to receive contributions from the Election Campaign

14  Financing Trust Fund or any statewide candidate in a race with

15  a candidate who has requested to receive contributions from

16  the trust fund shall file reports on the 4th, 11th, 18th,

17  25th, and 32nd days immediately preceding the primary election

18  and on the 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, 32nd, 39th, 46th, and 53rd

19  days prior to the general election.

20         (5)  For the 2004 elections, there shall be two

21  elections for purposes of the contribution limits in section

22  106.08, Florida Statutes.

23         Section 2.  This act shall take effect January 2, 2004.

24  

25          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
26                         Senate Bill 1542

27                                 

28  The committee substitute differs from the original bill in
    that it:  moves the date of the sole primary in 2004 from
29  September 14 to August 31.

30  

31  

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