Opinion ID: 1372923
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Legislative Irregularity

Text: Finally, I agree with the majority that the Governors Succession Amendment was properly adopted by the voters of this State, but I am not certain by what means the majority concluded they could ignore the wording in the official Journal of the House of Delegates. The journal is the official record of each house of the Legislature. We should have some rule to guide us when we set out to determine whether the wording of resolution or the journal is to prevail. The issue presented here is predicated upon a variance in language between the resolution passed in the House and the language of the resolution passed in the Senate. The Governor contends that the engrossed resolution passed in the House contained the word eligible as indicated in the Official Journal of the House of Delegates. That resolution was communicated to the Senate and passed, but the word ineligible appeared in the Senate-approved version of the House resolution. The Governor contends that because of the failure of the House to adopt the Senate amendment to its resolution, the resolution framing the Governors Succession Amendment was not constitutionally adopted and consequently improperly submitted to the voters for ratification. The sole question here is the weight to be accorded to the journal entry. The law of this State accords a presumptive validity to the printed acts of the Legislature. The strongest presumption, however, is in favor of a bill that has been duly enrolled and bears evidence of the action of the Legislature and Executive branches by virtue of their signatures. Charleston National Bank v. Fox, 119 W.Va. 438, 194 S.E. 4 (1937). Where there is a variance between a printed act and the enrolled bill, the enrolled bill controls. Charleston National Bank v. Fox, supra . In either case the presumptions accruing in favor of these forms of enactment may be overcome by clear and convincing proof. State ex rel. Heck's Discount Centers, Inc. v. Winters, 147 W.Va. 861, 132 S.E.2d 374 (1963); State v. Heston, 137 W.Va. 375, 71 S.E.2d 481 (1952); Charleston National Bank v. Fox, supra . No conflict between the printed acts and the enrolled bill is here alleged. The only ambiguity appearing is between the printed acts and the engrossed resolution as printed in the House Journal. The entry in the journal is the extrinsic evidence in this case and may be properly considered under the Fox rule. It is insufficient, however, to constitute clear and convincing proof when weighed in light of the form of the resolution appearing in the Senate Journal, in the Acts of the Legislature, Regular Session, 1970, and in the form ratified by the voters of this State in the 1970 General Election. Particularly because there was no discrepancy when the question was put to the voters, and since this was a constitutional amendment needing ratification of the citizens and not a bill which needed only the signature of the Governor to become law, I am persuaded that the variance in the Journal of the House of Delegates, occurring at a preliminary and not a final stage of adoption, did not invalidate an otherwise proper adoption.