HF 289

1st Engrossment - 82nd Legislature (2001 - 2002) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  1.3             article IV, section 4; providing staggered four-year 
  1.4             terms for representatives and senators.  
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.] 
  1.7      An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, article IV, 
  1.8   section 4, is proposed to the people. 
  1.9      If the amendment is adopted, article IV, section 4, will 
  1.10  read: 
  1.11     Sec. 4.  Representatives shall be chosen for a term of two 
  1.12  years, except to fill a vacancy. and senators shall be chosen 
  1.13  for a term of four years, except to fill a vacancy and except 
  1.14  there shall be an entire new election of all the senators 
  1.15  members at the first election of representatives after each new 
  1.16  legislative apportionment provided for in this article. 
  1.17     As nearly as possible, one-half of the members of each body 
  1.18  elected at the first election after a new apportionment shall be 
  1.19  elected from odd-numbered districts and serve two-year terms and 
  1.20  one-half shall be elected from even-numbered districts and serve 
  1.21  four-year terms.  After that first election, members shall be 
  1.22  elected for four-year terms until the next apportionment. 
  1.23     The governor shall call elections to fill vacancies in 
  1.24  either house of the legislature. 
  1.25     Sec. 2.  [TRANSITION.] 
  2.1      If the amendment proposed in section 1 is adopted, the 
  2.2   members of each body of the legislature shall be elected at the 
  2.3   2006 state general election in the following manner.  Members 
  2.4   who are elected from odd-numbered districts shall serve two-year 
  2.5   terms, and members who are elected from even-numbered districts 
  2.6   shall serve four-year terms.  At the 2008 state general 
  2.7   election, members elected from odd-numbered districts shall be 
  2.8   elected to four-year terms.  At the 2010 state general election, 
  2.9   members elected from even-numbered districts shall be elected to 
  2.10  two-year terms. 
  2.11     Sec. 3.  [QUESTION.] 
  2.12     The amendment shall be submitted to the people at the 2002 
  2.13  general election.  The question submitted to the people shall be:
  2.14     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide 
  2.15  staggered four-year terms for representatives and senators 
  2.16  beginning at the 2006 state general election? 
  2.17                                     Yes .......
  2.18                                     No ........"