HF 2782

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             proposing amendments to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  1.3             article IV, sections 4, 6, and 12; relating to the 
  1.4             legislature and legislators; changing provisions 
  1.5             governing legislative sessions, terms of office, and 
  1.6             qualification for office. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8                              ARTICLE 1
  1.9      Section 1.  [PURPOSE.] 
  1.10     The purpose of the amendment proposed in section 2 is to 
  1.11  enable the legislature to have more deliberative procedures for 
  1.12  making major state budget decisions and for making decisions on 
  1.13  other matters, by focusing the session in the odd-numbered year 
  1.14  primarily on major budget bills and the session in the 
  1.15  even-numbered year primarily on policy bills that do not relate 
  1.16  to the state budget. 
  1.17     Sec. 2.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.] 
  1.18     The following amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  1.19  article IV, section 12, is proposed.  If the amendment is 
  1.20  adopted the section will read as follows: 
  1.21     Sec. 12.  The legislature shall meet at the seat of 
  1.22  government in regular session in each biennium at the times 
  1.23  prescribed by law for not exceeding a total of 120 legislative 
  1.24  days.  The legislature shall not meet in regular session, nor in 
  1.25  any adjournment thereof, after the first Monday following the 
  1.26  third Saturday in May of any year.  After meeting at a time 
  2.1   prescribed by law, the legislature may adjourn to another time.  
  2.2   "Legislative day" shall be defined by law.  A special session of 
  2.3   the legislature may be called by the governor on extraordinary 
  2.4   occasions. 
  2.5      Neither house during a session of the legislature shall 
  2.6   adjourn for more than three days (Sundays excepted) nor to any 
  2.7   other place than that in which the two houses shall be assembled 
  2.8   without the consent of the other house.  At the regular session 
  2.9   during the odd-numbered year, the legislature may consider only 
  2.10  matters relating to the state budget and other matters requiring 
  2.11  immediate attention, as defined by law or by legislative rule. 
  2.12     Sec. 3.  [SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.] 
  2.13     The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at 
  2.14  the 2000 general election.  The question submitted shall be: 
  2.15     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to reduce the 
  2.16  maximum number of legislative days in a biennium from 120 to 115 
  2.17  and to provide that regular legislative sessions in odd-numbered 
  2.18  years be limited primarily to consideration of matters relating 
  2.19  to the state budget? 
  2.20                                     Yes .......
  2.21                                     No ........"
  2.22     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.23     If the amendment proposed by section 2 is adopted, it is 
  2.24  effective beginning with the legislative session in 2005. 
  2.25                             ARTICLE 2
  2.26     Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.] 
  2.27     The following amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  2.28  article IV, section 4, is proposed.  If the amendment is 
  2.29  adopted, the section will read as follows: 
  2.30     Sec. 4.  Representatives shall be chosen for a term of two 
  2.31  years, except to fill a vacancy.  Senators shall be chosen for a 
  2.32  term of four years, except to fill a vacancy and except there 
  2.33  shall be an entire new election of all the senators at the first 
  2.34  election of representatives that in the election in the year 
  2.35  2002 and after each new legislative apportionment redistricting 
  2.36  provided for in this article, one-third of the senators shall be 
  3.1   elected for terms of four years, four years, and two years; 
  3.2   one-third of the senators for terms of four years, two years, 
  3.3   and four years; and one-third of the senators for terms of two 
  3.4   years, four years, and four years.  The senate districts in each 
  3.5   group must be distributed substantially equally over the state.  
  3.6   The governor shall call elections to fill vacancies in either 
  3.7   house of the legislature. 
  3.8      Sec. 2.  [SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.] 
  3.9      The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at 
  3.10  the 2000 general election.  The question submitted shall be: 
  3.11     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to stagger the 
  3.12  terms of members of the senate? 
  3.13                                     Yes .......
  3.14                                     No ........"
  3.15                             ARTICLE 3
  3.16     Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.] 
  3.17     The following amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  3.18  article IV, section 6, is proposed.  If the amendment is adopted 
  3.19  the section will read as follows: 
  3.20     Sec. 6.  Senators and representatives shall be qualified 
  3.21  voters of the state, shall be at least 19 years of age, and 
  3.22  shall have resided one year in the state and six months 
  3.23  immediately preceding the election in the district from which 
  3.24  elected.  Each house shall be the judge of the election returns 
  3.25  and eligibility of its own members.  The legislature shall 
  3.26  prescribe by law the manner for taking evidence in cases of 
  3.27  contested seats in either house. 
  3.28     Sec. 2.  [SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.] 
  3.29     The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at 
  3.30  the 2000 general election.  The question submitted shall be: 
  3.31     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to reduce the 
  3.32  minimum age required to hold legislative office from 21 years to 
  3.33  19 years? 
  3.34                                     Yes .......
  3.35                                     No ........"