HF 1999

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) 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 12; limiting the scope of the 
  1.4             second year of each biennial session. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSAL.] 
  1.7      An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to 
  1.8   the people.  If the amendment is adopted, article IV, section 
  1.9   12, will read: 
  1.10     Sec. 12.  The legislature shall meet at the seat of 
  1.11  government in regular session in each biennium at the times 
  1.12  prescribed by law for not exceeding a total of 120 legislative 
  1.13  days.  The legislature shall not meet in regular session, nor in 
  1.14  any adjournment thereof, after the first Monday following the 
  1.15  third Saturday in May of any year.  After meeting at a time 
  1.16  prescribed by law, the legislature may adjourn to another time.  
  1.17  "Legislative day" shall be defined by law.  A special session of 
  1.18  the legislature may be called by the governor on extraordinary 
  1.19  occasions. 
  1.20     Neither house during a session of the legislature shall 
  1.21  adjourn for more than three days (Sundays excepted) nor to any 
  1.22  other place than that in which the two houses shall be assembled 
  1.23  without the consent of the other house. 
  1.24     During the second year of each biennial session, the 
  1.25  legislature is limited to the following legislative actions: 
  2.1      (1) repealing obsolete, outdated, and unnecessary laws; 
  2.2      (2) proposing amendments to the Minnesota Constitution; 
  2.3      (3) enacting bonding bills for capital projects; 
  2.4      (4) enacting legislation that reduces taxes or spending or 
  2.5   both; 
  2.6      (5) enacting legislation that distributes surplus revenues; 
  2.7   and 
  2.8      (6) enacting legislation that appropriates money for 
  2.9   emergency purposes, provided that emergency spending under this 
  2.10  clause must receive the approval of at least 60 percent of the 
  2.11  legislators voting on the legislation in each house.  This 60 
  2.12  percent requirement applies only to legislation covered by this 
  2.13  clause and only in the second year of a biennial session. 
  2.14     Sec. 2.  [SCHEDULE AND QUESTION.] 
  2.15     The amendment proposed in section 1 shall be submitted to 
  2.16  the people at the 2000 general election.  The question proposed 
  2.17  shall be: 
  2.18     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to limit the 
  2.19  legislature's activities during the second year of each biennium 
  2.20  to repealing obsolete laws, proposing amendments to the 
  2.21  Minnesota Constitution, approving capital bonding, reducing 
  2.22  taxes, reducing spending, distributing surplus revenues, and 
  2.23  emergency spending? 
  2.24                                     Yes .......
  2.25                                     No ........"