Florida Senate - 2012 SJR 190
By Senator Bennett
21-00298-12 2012190__
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 terms and term limits that
6 apply to state senators and state representatives.
7
8 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10 That the following amendments to Section 15 of Article III
11 and Section 4 of Article VI and the creation of a new section in
12 Article XII of the State Constitution are agreed to and shall be
13 submitted to the electors of this state for approval or
14 rejection at the next general election or at an earlier special
15 election specifically authorized by law for that purpose:
16 ARTICLE III
17 LEGISLATURE
18 SECTION 15. Terms and qualifications of legislators.—
19 (a) SENATORS. Senators shall be elected for staggered terms
20 of six four years. The legislature must divide the senate
21 districts as evenly as possible into three classes, those from
22 odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of which are
23 multiples of four and those from even-numbered districts in
24 even-numbered years the numbers of which are not multiples of
25 four; except, at the election next following a reapportionment,
26 some senators shall be elected for terms of two years when
27 necessary to maintain staggered terms.
28 (b) REPRESENTATIVES. Members of the house of
29 representatives shall be elected for terms of four two years,
30 those from odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of
31 which are multiples of four and those from even-numbered
32 districts in even-numbered years the numbers of which are not
33 multiples of four in each even-numbered year.
34 (c) QUALIFICATIONS. Each legislator shall be at least
35 twenty-one years of age and, an elector and resident of the
36 district from which elected and shall have resided in the state
37 for a period of two years prior to election.
38 (d) ASSUMING OFFICE; VACANCIES. Members of the legislature
39 shall take office upon election. Vacancies in legislative office
40 shall be filled only by election as provided by law.
41 ARTICLE VI
42 SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS
43 SECTION 4. Disqualifications.—
44 (a) A No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in
45 this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, is not shall
46 be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil
47 rights or removal of disability.
48 (b) A No person may not appear on the ballot for re
49 election as a senator or representative if, by the end of the
50 current term of office, the person will have served (or, but for
51 resignation, would have served) in that office for twelve
52 consecutive years. to any of the following offices:
53 (1) Florida representative,
54 (2) Florida senator,
55 (c)(3) A person may not appear on the ballot for re
56 election to the office of Florida lieutenant governor or to,
57 (4) any office of the Florida cabinet office,
58 (5) U.S. Representative from Florida, or
59 (6) U.S. Senator from Florida
60
61 if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will
62 have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that
63 office for eight consecutive years.
64 ARTICLE XII
65 SCHEDULE
66 Implementation of amendments relating to the terms of
67 certain elected officials.—
68 (a) The amendments to Section 15 of Article III and Section
69 4 of Article VI and the creation of this section shall take
70 effect upon approval by the electors.
71 (b) During the organizational session following the 2012
72 general election, the legislature shall implement the amendment
73 to subsection (a) of Section 15 of Article III by law. Under the
74 implementing legislation, senators elected during the 2012
75 general election shall be elected to terms of at least four
76 years. The terms of senators having two years remaining to their
77 terms on the date of the general election may be extended by two
78 years.
79 (c) Those representatives elected in even-numbered
80 districts in the 2012 general election shall be elected to terms
81 of two years. Those representatives elected in odd-numbered
82 districts in the 2012 general election shall be elected to terms
83 of four years.
84 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
85 placed on the ballot:
86 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
87 ARTICLE III, SECTION 15
88 ARTICLE VI, SECTION 4
89 ARTICLE XII
90 TERMS OF STATE SENATORS AND STATE REPRESENTATIVES.—The
91 State Constitution provides that state senators are elected to
92 terms of 4 years and state representatives are elected to terms
93 of 2 years. The State Constitution also generally limits state
94 senators and state representatives to serving 8 consecutive
95 years in office.
96 This amendment increases the terms of state senators from 4
97 to 6 years and the terms of state representatives from 2 to 4
98 years. The amendment also generally limits state senators and
99 state representatives to serving 12 consecutive years in office.