HJR 1 (LSB 1357YH (3) 90)

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1

BY  MOORE

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

A Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa altering the terms of service for members of the house of representatives.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  The following amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa is proposed:
   Section 3 of Article III of the Constitution of the State of Iowa is repealed and the following adopted in lieu thereof:
   Sec. 3.  Representatives —— classification.  The members of the house of representatives shall be chosen on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year by the qualified electors of their respective districts, and their term of office shall commence on the first day of January next after their election, and continue four years, and until their successors are elected and qualified. Members of the house of representatives shall be classified so that as nearly as possible one-half of the members of the house of representatives shall be elected every two years, and each member of the house of representatives elected concurrently with the adoption of this amendment or serving at the time of the adoption of this amendment shall be so classified. For those members of the house of representatives elected concurrently with the adoption of this amendment or serving at the time of the adoption of this amendment, those members of the house of representatives in the first class shall serve for two years following the first day of January next after the adoption of this amendment, and those in the second class shall serve for four years following the first day of January next after the adoption of this amendment.
    Sec. 2.
  REFERRAL AND PUBLICATION.
  The foregoing proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa is referred to the general assembly to be chosen at the next general election for members of the general assembly, and shall be published as provided by law for three months previous to the date of that election.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the terms of office for members of the house of representatives. The amendment changes the terms of office for members of the house of representatives to four years, with members to be elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year, with one-half of all members to be elected every two years. The amendment provides that each member of the house of representatives who is serving at the time of adoption of the amendment or elected concurrently with the adoption of the amendment will be divided into two classes. Members in the first class shall serve for two years and members in the second class shall serve for four years.
   The resolution, if adopted, would be published and then referred to the next general assembly for adoption, before being submitted to the electorate for ratification.