SB57 By Senators Pittman, Shelnutt and Orr RFD Constitution, Ethics and Elections Rd 1 03-MAR-15

SYNOPSIS: This bill would propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, that would provide that no person may be elected to either house of the Legislature for more than three full consecutive terms. The amendment would provide that an election to either the Senate or the House of Representatives for at least two years would be equivalent to the election for a full term in that respective body. The amendment would provide that service in the Senate and service in the House of Representatives prior to November 2014 would not disqualify, in whole or in part, a person from service in that respective body following that date.

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT

To propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide that (1) no person may be elected to the Senate for more than three consecutive terms of office in the Senate and no person may be elected to the House of Representatives for more than three consecutive full terms in the House of Representatives, (2) an election to the Senate and an election to the House of Representatives for at least two years would be equivalent to the election of a person for a full term in the respective body, and (3) service in the Senate and service in the House of Representatives prior to November 2014 would not disqualify, in whole or in part, a person from service in the respective body following such date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, is proposed and shall become valid as a part thereof when approved by a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon and in accordance with Sections 284, 285, and 287 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended:

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

No person may be elected to the Alabama Senate for more than three full consecutive terms. No person may be elected to the Alabama House of Representatives for more than three full consecutive terms. An election to either the Senate or the House of Representatives for at least two years shall be equivalent to the election of a person for a full term in the respective body. Notwithstanding the foregoing, service in the Senate prior to November 2014 shall not disqualify, in whole or in part, a person from service in the Senate following that date, and service in the House of Representatives prior to November 2014 shall not disqualify, in whole or in part, a person from service in the House of Representatives following that date.

Section 2. An election upon the proposed amendment shall be held in accordance with the provisions of Sections 284 and 285 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Sections 284 and 285 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama, 1901, as amended, and in accordance with the election laws of this state.

Section 3. The appropriate election official shall assign a ballot number for the proposed constitutional amendment on the election ballot and shall set forth the following description of the substance or subject matter of the proposed constitutional amendment:

"Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide that no person may be elected to the Senate of Alabama for more than three consecutive terms and no person may be elected to the Alabama House of Representatives for more than three consecutive terms.

"Proposed by Act ________."

This description shall be followed by the following language:

"Yes ( ) No ( )."

Constitutional Amendments

Elections

House of Representatives

Senate

Legislature

Term Limits