HF 114

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             providing for biennial sessions of the legislature; 
  1.3             changing the length of terms of legislators; providing 
  1.4             for staggered elections of senators; reducing the 
  1.5             salary of legislators; proposing an amendment to the 
  1.6             Minnesota Constitution, article IV, sections 4 and 12. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  1.10  article IV, sections 4 and 12, is proposed to the people.  If 
  1.11  the amendment is adopted, article IV, section 4 will read as 
  1.12  follows: 
  1.13     Sec. 4.  Representatives shall be chosen for a term of two 
  1.14  four years, except to fill a vacancy.  Senators shall be chosen 
  1.15  for a term of four years, except to fill a vacancy and except 
  1.16  there shall be an entire new election of all the senators 
  1.17  representatives at the first election of representatives after 
  1.18  each new legislative apportionment provided for in this 
  1.19  article.  Senators shall be chosen for a term of four years, 
  1.20  alternating with a term of six years, except to fill a vacancy.  
  1.21  At the first election of representatives after each new 
  1.22  legislative appointment, half the senators shall be elected to a 
  1.23  term of four years and half the senators shall be elected to a 
  1.24  term of six years.  The governor shall call elections to fill 
  1.25  vacancies in either house of the legislature. 
  1.26     and article 4, section 12 will read: 
  2.1      Sec. 12.  The legislature shall meet at the seat of 
  2.2   government in regular session in the odd-numbered year of each 
  2.3   biennium at the times prescribed by law for not exceeding a 
  2.4   total of 120 legislative days.  The legislature shall not meet 
  2.5   in regular session, nor in any adjournment thereof, after the 
  2.6   first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year the 
  2.7   odd-numbered year of each biennium.  After meeting at a time 
  2.8   prescribed by law, the legislature may adjourn to another time.  
  2.9   "Legislative day" shall be defined by law.  A special session of 
  2.10  the legislature may be called by the governor on extraordinary 
  2.11  occasions. 
  2.12     Neither house during a session of the legislature shall 
  2.13  adjourn for more than three days (Sundays excepted) nor to any 
  2.14  other place than that in which the two houses shall be assembled 
  2.15  without the consent of the other house. 
  2.16     Sec. 2.  [LEGISLATIVE SALARIES.] 
  2.17     On January 1, 2003, the salary of legislators shall be 
  2.18  reduced to one-half the amount of salary that was in effect on 
  2.19  December 31, 2002, subject to the provisions of Minnesota 
  2.20  Statutes, section 3.099, subdivision 3. 
  2.21     Sec. 3.  [SCHEDULE AND QUESTION.] 
  2.22     Subdivision 1.  The amendment to the Minnesota Constitution 
  2.23  proposed in section 1 shall be submitted to the people at the 
  2.24  1996 general election. 
  2.25     The amendment applies to the election of legislators at the 
  2.26  general election in 2002 and thereafter. 
  2.27     The question submitted to the people shall be: 
  2.28     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to limit the 
  2.29  legislature to a regular session in alternating years, to 
  2.30  lengthen the terms of office of legislators, and to provide for 
  2.31  staggered election of state senators? 
  2.32                                     Yes .......
  2.33                                     No ........"
  2.34     Subd. 2.  Section 2 is effective upon the ratification of 
  2.35  the constitutional amendment proposed in section 1.