| 1 | The Justice Council recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | House Joint Resolution |
| 6 | A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 5 of |
| 7 | Article XI of the State Constitution to require that any |
| 8 | proposed amendment to or revision of the State |
| 9 | Constitution be approved by at least 60 percent of the |
| 10 | electors voting on the measure. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | That the amendment to Section 5 of Article XI of the State |
| 15 | Constitution set forth below is agreed to and shall be submitted |
| 16 | to the electors of Florida for approval or rejection at the |
| 17 | general election to be held in November 2006: |
| 18 | ARTICLE XI |
| 19 | AMENDMENTS |
| 20 | SECTION 5. Amendment or revision election.-- |
| 21 | (a) A proposed amendment to or revision of this |
| 22 | constitution, or any part of it, shall be submitted to the |
| 23 | electors at the next general election held more than ninety days |
| 24 | after the joint resolution or report of revision commission, |
| 25 | constitutional convention or taxation and budget reform |
| 26 | commission proposing it is filed with the custodian of state |
| 27 | records, unless, pursuant to law enacted by the affirmative vote |
| 28 | of three-fourths of the membership of each house of the |
| 29 | legislature and limited to a single amendment or revision, it is |
| 30 | submitted at an earlier special election held more than ninety |
| 31 | days after such filing. |
| 32 | (b) A proposed amendment or revision of this constitution, |
| 33 | or any part of it, by initiative shall be submitted to the |
| 34 | electors at the general election provided the initiative |
| 35 | petition is filed with the custodian of state records no later |
| 36 | than February 1 of the year in which the general election is |
| 37 | held. |
| 38 | (c) The legislature shall provide by general law, prior to |
| 39 | the holding of an election pursuant to this section, for the |
| 40 | provision of a statement to the public regarding the probable |
| 41 | financial impact of any amendment proposed by initiative |
| 42 | pursuant to section 3. |
| 43 | (d) Once in the tenth week, and once in the sixth week |
| 44 | immediately preceding the week in which the election is held, |
| 45 | the proposed amendment or revision, with notice of the date of |
| 46 | election at which it will be submitted to the electors, shall be |
| 47 | published in one newspaper of general circulation in each county |
| 48 | in which a newspaper is published. |
| 49 | (e) Unless otherwise specifically provided for elsewhere |
| 50 | in this constitution, if the proposed amendment or revision is |
| 51 | approved by vote of at least sixty percent of the electors |
| 52 | voting on the measure, it shall be effective as an amendment to |
| 53 | or revision of the constitution of the state on the first |
| 54 | Tuesday after the first Monday in January following the |
| 55 | election, or on such other date as may be specified in the |
| 56 | amendment or revision. |
| 57 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the title and substance of the |
| 58 | amendment proposed herein shall appear on the ballot as follows: |
| 59 | REQUIRING BROADER PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR |
| 60 | CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS OR REVISIONS |
| 61 | Proposes an amendment to Section 5 of Article XI of the |
| 62 | State Constitution to require that any proposed amendment to or |
| 63 | revision of the State Constitution, whether proposed by the |
| 64 | Legislature, by initiative, or by any other method, must be |
| 65 | approved by at least 60 percent of the voters of the state |
| 66 | voting on the measure, rather than by a simple majority. |