Senate Bill sb0130

    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SJR 130

    By Senator Dawson





    29-137-05

  1                 Senate Joint Resolution No. ____

  2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to

  3         Section 4 of Article VI of the State

  4         Constitution, relating to suffrage and

  5         elections, to authorize the Legislature to

  6         provide the conditions under which a convicted

  7         felon's right to register or vote may be

  8         restored.

  9  

10  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11  

12         That the following amendment to Section 4 of Article VI

13  of the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted

14  to the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the

15  next general election or at an earlier special election

16  specifically authorized by law for that purpose:

17                            ARTICLE VI

18                      SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS

19         SECTION 4.  Disqualifications.--

20         (a)  No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in

21  this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, shall be

22  qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil

23  rights or removal of disability. No person convicted of a

24  felony shall be qualified to vote until the person's right to

25  register or vote has been restored, as provided by law. No

26  person adjudicated in this or any other state to be mentally

27  incompetent shall be qualified to vote until removal of

28  disability.

29         (b)  No person may appear on the ballot for re-election

30  to any of the following offices:

31         (1)  Florida representative,

                                  1

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SJR 130
    29-137-05




 1         (2)  Florida senator,

 2         (3)  Florida Lieutenant governor, or

 3         (4)  any office of the Florida cabinet,

 4         (5)  U.S. Representative from Florida, or

 5         (6)  U.S. Senator from Florida

 6  

 7  if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will

 8  have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in

 9  that office for eight consecutive years.

10         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be

11  placed on the ballot:

12                     CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

13                      ARTICLE VI, SECTION 4

14         QUALIFICATIONS OF FELONS TO VOTE.--Proposing an

15  amendment to the State Constitution authorizing the

16  Legislature to provide the conditions under which a convicted

17  felon's right to register or vote may be restored by statute.

18  The amendment also deletes inoperative provisions relating to

19  term limits for members of Congress and U.S. Senators, which

20  provisions have been determined by the U.S. Supreme Court to

21  violate the U.S. Constitution.

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  2

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