Opinion ID: 2632131
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: proposed constitutional amendments, delivery to secretary of state

Text: 4-5 When both presiding officers have signed an enrolled act proposing an amendment to the Wyoming Constitution, the messenger shall deliver the act to the secretary of state and exchange the act for a signed receipt which gives the day and hour of delivery to the secretary of state. 12. During the 1999 General Session of the Wyoming Legislature House Joint Resolution No. HJ0006 (Exhibit 122) was introduced proposing to amend Art. IV, § 9 of the Wyoming Constitution to limit the Governor's partial veto authority (line-item veto authority) to general appropriations bills and to appropriations items within those bills. This bill did not pass the house of origin. 13. During the ... General Session of the 55th Wyoming Legislature Senate Enrolled Joint. Resolution No. 2 (Exhibit 117) and Senate Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 3 (Exhibit 118) were signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate and both Enrolled Joint Resolutions were delivered directly to the Secretary of State without presentation to the Governor. 14. During the 2000 Budget Session of the Wyoming Legislature Senate Joint Resolution No. SJOOO1 (Exhibit 123) was introduced proposing to amend Art. IV, § 9 of the Wyoming Constitution to limit the Governor's partial veto authority (line-item veto authority) to general appropriations bills enacted pursuant to Art. III, § 34 of the Wyoming Constitution. Senate Joint Resolution No. SJO001 was enacted by the House of Representatives and the Senate. 15. Senate Joint Resolution No. SJOOO1 became Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1, Senate (Exhibit 120) of the Budget Session of the Fifty-fifth Legislature of the State of Wyoming. A copy of the Legislative Journal entry showing the votes taken on Senate Joint Resolution No. SJOOO1 is attached as Exhibit 135. Senate Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1 was signed by Defendant Bebout, as Speaker of the House, and also signed by Defendant Twiford, as President of the Senate. Senate Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1 contained the customary signature line for the Governor, but was not presented to the Governor for his approval or disapproval. 16. Senate Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1 (Exhibit 120) of the 2000 Budget Session was delivered directly to the Secretary of State, without presentation to the Governor. The joint resolution was received by the Secretary of State on 6 March 2000. 17. The only other joint resolution for a proposed constitutional amendment enacted by the Fifty-fifth Legislature during the 2000 Budget Session was House Joint Resolution No. HJ0001 (Exhibit 124) regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to military eligibility. This became House Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1 (Exhibit 119) and was presented to the Governor on 13 March 2000. This joint resolution was signed on 13 March 2000 by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State. The Chief Clerks of both the House and the Senate on 13 March 2000 sent letters (Exhibits 125 and 126) to the Governor informing him that the presentation of House Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1 to him had been in error according to Joint Rule 4-5 of the 55th Legislature. 18. In 1998, Governor Geringer became the third Wyoming Governor to veto a joint resolution for a constitutional amendment when he vetoed House Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1 (Exhibit 116) on 12 March 1998. A copy of Governor Geringer's veto message is attached as Exhibit 129. The House of Representatives of the Fifty-fourth Wyoming State Legislature, Special Session, attempted to override the veto. The unsuccessful override vote is represented by Exhibit 130 which is attached. 19. After the 1998 Session of the Legislature adjourned, there was discussion among legislative leaders about the process of amending the Wyoming Constitution. A legal research memo prepared by Legislative Service Office Staff Attorney McMullen on 1 May 1998 (Exhibit 131) was presented to the Legislative Management Council at meetings in September and December 1998 and discussions thereon resulted in the proposal to the 55th Legislature to adopt new rules in January 1999 relating to Enrolled Act Signing, Presentment to Governor, and Proposed Constitutional Amendments; Delivery to Secretary of State detailed in ¶ 11 of this Stipulation. 20. THE EMPLOYEE'S MANUAL OF PROCEDURES AND DUTIES OF THE WYOMING STATE LEGISLATURE, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (1st Revision 1960) provides the following drafting rules for resolutions at page 5: Resolutions: 1. Expressions of the opinion or sentiment of the legislature. a. The only way in which State Constitutional amendments may be referred to the electorate. 2. Do not have the force of law, but legislative procedure is the same as with bills. (Emphasis added.) The same language is found in the 1957 first printing of the EMPLOYEE'S MANUAL OF PROCEDURES AND DUTIES, at page 5. 21. In 1991, WYOMING MANUAL OF LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE, WYOMING STATE LEGISLATURE at pages 4 and 5 (Exhibit 132) describes the Form of Measures including Joint Resolutions as: This is the form in which state constitutional amendments may be proposed and referred to the voters. See Article 20, Wyoming Constitution, and W.S. XX-XX-XXX through XX-XX-XXX. Passage requires a two-thirds majority vote of both bodies. Also, it is the only form in which amendments to the United States Constitution are ratified by the legislature. See Article V, United States Constitution. Passage requires a majority vote of both bodies. 22. This foregoing provision of the 1991 Manual of Legislative Procedure was deleted when the Manual was revised in 1994 and again in 1999. The only reference in either the 1994 Manual (Exhibit 133) or in the 1999 Manual (Exhibit 134) is contained in Appendix I, Legislative Vote Requirements, under the list of actions requiring a two-thirds vote of elected members. 23. The 1996 Legislative Handbook prepared by the Wyoming Legislative Service Office at Chapter IV Bill/Amendment Drafting contains a description of Resolutions including Resolutions proposing amendments to the Wyoming Constitution. (Exhibit 136) 24. Article 3, Section 20 of the Wyoming Constitution provides: § 20. Laws to be passed by bill; alteration or amendment of bills. No law shall be passed except by bill, and no bill shall be so altered or amended on its passage through either house as to change its original purpose. 25. Article 3, Section 28 of the Wyoming Constitution provides: § 28. Signing of Bills. The presiding officer of each house shall, in the presence of the house over which he presides, sign all bills and joint resolutions passed by the legislature immediately after their titles have been publicly read, and the fact of signing shall be at once entered upon the journal. 26. Article 3, Section 41 of the Wyoming Constitution provides: 41. Resolutions; approval or veto. Every order, resolution or vote, in which the concurrence of both houses may be necessary, except on the question of adjournment, or relating solely to the transaction of business of the two houses, shall be presented to the governor, and before it shall take effect be approved by him, or being disapproved, be repassed by two-thirds of both houses as prescribed in the case of a bill. 27. Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution provides: § 8. Approval or veto of legislation by Governor; passage over veto. Every bill which has passed the legislature shall, before it becomes law, be presented to the governor. If he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it with his objections to the house in which it originated, which shall enter the objections at large upon the journal and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the members elected agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if it be approved by two-thirds of the members elected, it shall become a law; but in all such cases the vote of both houses shall be determined by the yeas and nays, and the names of the members voting for and against the bill shall be entered upon the journal of each house respectively. If any bill is not returned by the governor within three days (Sundays excepted) after its presentation to him, the same shall be a law, unless the legislature by its adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall be a law, unless he shall file the same with his objections in the office of the secretary of state within fifteen days after such adjournment. 28. Article 4, Section 9 of the Wyoming Constitution provides: § 9. Veto of items of appropriations. The governor shall have power to disapprove of any item or items or part or parts of any bill making appropriations of money or property embracing distinct items, and the part or parts of the bill approved shall be the law, and the item or items and part or parts disapproved shall be void unless enacted in the following manner: If the legislature be in session he shall transmit to the house in which the bill originated a copy of the item or items or part or parts thereof disapproved, together with his objections thereto, and the items or parts objected to shall be separately reconsidered, and each item or part shall then take the same course as is prescribed for the passage of bills over the executive veto. 29. Article 20, Section 1 of the Wyoming Constitution provides: § 1. How amendments proposed by legislature and submitted to people. Any amendment or amendments to this constitution may be proposed in either branch of the legislature, and, if the same shall be agreed to by two-thirds of all the members of each of the two houses, voting separately, such proposed amendment or amendments shall, with the yeas and nays thereon, be entered on their journals, and it shall be the duty of the legislature to submit such amendment or amendments to the electors of the state at the next general election, and cause the same to be published without delay for at least twelve (12) consecutive weeks, prior to said election, in at least one newspaper of general circulation, published in each county, and if a majority of the electors shall ratify the same, such amendment or amendments shall become a part of this constitution. 30. Time is of the essence in this case since the proposed constitutional amendment at issue is scheduled to be placed on the 2000 ballot. The Secretary of State must publish proposed Constitutional amendments on August 15 and prepare the form of the ballot in early September prior to the November 2000 general election. 31. The exhibits identified above are hereby offered into evidence without objection from either party. All exhibits to be made part of the official record in this case.