Florida Senate - 2014 SJR 946
By Senator Grimsley
21-01272-14 2014946__
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 terms of state senators and
6 state representatives and revise limits on the period
7 for which a person may be elected as a state senator
8 or state representative.
9
10 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 That the following amendments to Section 15 of Article III
13 and Section 4 of Article VI and the creation of a new section in
14 Article XII of the State Constitution are agreed to and shall be
15 submitted to the electors of this state for approval or
16 rejection at the next general election or at an earlier special
17 election specifically authorized by law for that purpose,
18 effective upon approval by the electors:
19 ARTICLE III
20 LEGISLATURE
21 SECTION 15. Terms and qualifications of legislators.—
22 (a) SENATORS. Senators shall be elected for staggered terms
23 of six four years. The legislature must divide the senate
24 districts as evenly as possible into three classes, those from
25 odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of which are
26 multiples of four and those from even-numbered districts in
27 even-numbered years the numbers of which are not multiples of
28 four; except, at the election next following a reapportionment,
29 some senators shall be elected for terms of two years when
30 necessary to maintain staggered terms.
31 (b) REPRESENTATIVES. Members of the house of
32 representatives shall be elected for terms of four two years,
33 those from odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of
34 which are multiples of four and those from even-numbered
35 districts in even-numbered years the numbers of which are not
36 multiples of four in each even-numbered year.
37 (c) QUALIFICATIONS. Each legislator shall be at least
38 twenty-one years of age and, an elector and resident of the
39 district from which elected and shall have resided in the state
40 for a period of two years prior to election.
41 (d) ASSUMING OFFICE; VACANCIES. Members of the legislature
42 shall take office upon election. Vacancies in legislative office
43 shall be filled only by election as provided by law.
44 ARTICLE VI
45 SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS
46 SECTION 4. Disqualifications.—
47 (a) A No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in
48 this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, is not shall
49 be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil
50 rights or removal of disability.
51 (b) A No person may not appear on the ballot for re
52 election as a senator or representative if, by the end of the
53 current term of office, the person will have served (or, but for
54 resignation, would have served) in that office for twelve
55 consecutive years. re-election to any of the following offices:
56 (1) Florida representative,
57 (2) Florida senator,
58 (c)(3) A person may not appear on the ballot for reelection
59 to the office of Florida lieutenant governor,
60 (4) any office of the Florida cabinet office, or the office
61 of,
62 (5) U.S. Representative from Florida, or
63 (6) U.S. Senator from Florida
64 if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will
65 have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that
66 office for eight consecutive years.
67 ARTICLE XII
68 SCHEDULE
69 Implementation of amendments relating to the terms of
70 certain elected officials.—
71 (a) The amendments to Section 15 of Article III and Section
72 4 of Article VI and the creation of this section shall take
73 effect upon approval by the electors.
74 (b) During the organization session following the 2014
75 general election, the legislature shall implement the amendment
76 to Section 15(a) of Article II by law. Under the implementing
77 legislation, senators elected during the 2014 general election
78 shall be elected to terms of at least four years. The terms of
79 senators having two years remaining to their terms on the date
80 of the general election may be extended by two years.
81 (c) The representatives elected in even-numbered districts
82 in the 2014 general election shall be elected to terms of two
83 years. Those representatives elected in odd-numbered districts
84 in the 2014 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 AMENDMENT
89 ARTICLE III, SECTION 15
90 ARTICLE VI, SECTION 4
91 ARTICLE XII
92 TERMS OF STATE SENATORS AND STATE REPRESENTATIVES.
93 Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution, effective
94 immediately upon approval, to increase the terms for which state
95 senators are elected from 4 years to 6 years, increase the terms
96 for which state representatives are elected from 2 years to 4
97 years, and increase limits on the period for which a person may
98 be elected as state senator or state representative, generally
99 from 8 consecutive years to 12 consecutive years.