Title: Single Subject Requirement for Revisions or Amendments to the Constitution

Summary: Proposes amendments to Sections 2 and 6 of Article XI of the State Constitution to limit each revision or amendment to the Constitution proposed by the constitution revision commission or the taxation and budget reform commission to one subject and matter directly connected therewith.

Full Text:
A joint resolution proposing amendments to Sections 2 and of Article XI of the State Constitution to limit each revision or amendment to the Constitution proposed by the constitution revision commission or the taxation and budget reform commission to one subject and matter directly connected therewith. Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: That the following amendments to Sections an dof Article XI of the State Constitution are agreed to and shall be submitted to the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next general election or at an earlier special election specifically authorized by law for that purpose: ARTICLE XI AMENDMENTS SECTION 2. Revision commission.-(a) Within thirty days before the convening of the 2017 regular session of the legislature, and each twentieth year thereafter, there shall be established a constitution revision commission composed of th efollowing thirty-seven members: (1) the attorney general of the state; (2) fifteen members selected by the governor; (3) nine members selected by the speaker of the house of HJR 2019 hjr0053 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Srepresentatives and nine members selected by the president of the senate; and (4) three members selected by the chief justice of the supreme court of Florida with the advice of the justices. (b) The governor shall designate one member of the commission as its chair. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be fill ed in the same manner as the original appointments. (c) Each constitution revision commission shall convene at the call of its chair, adopt its rules of procedure, examine the constitution of the state, hold public hearings, and, not later than one hundr ed eighty days prior to the next general election, file with the custodian of state records its proposal, if any, of a revision or amendment of this constitution or any part of it. Each revision or amendment shall embrace but one subject and matter directl yconnected therewith. SECTION 6. Taxation and budget reform commission.-(a) Beginning in 2007 and each twentieth year thereafter, there shall be established a taxation and budget reform commission composed of the following members: (1) eleven mem bers selected by the governor, none of whom shall be a member of the legislature at the time of appointment. (2) seven members selected by the speaker of the house of representatives and seven members selected by the president of the senate, none of whom shall be a member of the legislature at HJR 2019 hjr0053 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Sthe time of appointment. (3) four non-voting ex officio members, all of whom shall be members of the legislature at the time of appointment. Two of these members, one of whom shall be a member of the minority party in the house of representatives, shall be selected by the speaker of the house of representatives, and two of these members, one of whom shall be a member of the minority party in the senate, shall be selected by the president of the senate. (b) Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. (c) At its initial meeting, the members of the commission shall elect a member who is not a member of the legislature to serve as chair and the commission shall adopt its rules of procedure. Thereafter, the commission shall convene at the call of the chair. An affirmative vote of two thirds of the full commission shall be necessary for any revision of this constitution or any part of it to be pro posed by the commission. (d) The commission shall examine the state budgetary process, the revenue needs and expenditure processes of the state, the appropriateness of the tax structure of the state, and governmental productivity and efficiency; review policy as it relates to the ability of state and local government to tax and adequately fund governmental operations and capital facilities required to meet the state's needs during the next twenty year period; determine methods favored by the citizens of HJR 2019 hjr0053 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Sthe state to fund the needs of the state, including alternative methods for raising sufficient revenues for the needs of the state; determine measures that could be instituted to effectively gather funds from existing tax sources; examine constitutional lim itations on taxation and expenditures at the state and local level; and review the state's comprehensive planning, budgeting and needs assessment processes to determine whether the resulting information adequately supports a strategic decisionmaking proces s. (e) The commission shall hold public hearings as it deems necessary to carry out its responsibilities under this section. The commission shall issue a report of the results of the review carried out, and propose to the legislature any recommended statutory changes related to the taxation or budgetary laws of the state. Not later than one hundred eighty days prior to the general election in the second year following the year in which the commission is established, the commission shall file with the cust odian of state records its proposal, if any, of a revision or amendment of this constitution or any part of it dealing with taxation or the state budgetary process. Each revision or amendment shall embrace but one subject and matter directly connected ther ewith. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be placed on the ballot: HJR 2019 hjr0053 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE SCONSTITUTIONAL AMEND MENT ARTICLE XI, SECTIONS AND 102 SINGLE SUBJECT REQUI REMENT FOR REVISIONS OR AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.-Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to limit each revision or amendment to the Constitution made by the constitution revision commission or the taxation and budget reform commission to one subject and matter directly connected therewith.