Issue No. 2 NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
Pursuant to Article 19, Section 22, of the Arkansas Constitution, the 92nd General Assembly refers the following constitutional amendment to a vote of the people on November 3, 2020, and will appear on the ballot as Issue No. 2. Each elector upon voting his/her ballot shall vote for or against this amendment. Underlined language would be added to the present Constitution. Stricken language would be deleted from the present Constitution. This Amendment was proposed in the Regular 2019 Session by Senator A. Clark and filed as SJR15.
ISSUE NO. 2 Popular Name
A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO AMEND THE TERM LIMITS APPLICABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, TO BE KNOWN AS THE “ARKANSAS TERM LIMITS AMENDMENT”
Ballot Title
A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BE KNOWN AS THE “ARKANSAS TERM LIMITS AMENDMENT”; AND AMENDING THE TERM LIMITS APPLICABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
SECTION 1. Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 73, § 2, is amended to read as follows:
2. Legislative Branch.
(a) The Arkansas House of Representatives shall consist of members to be chosen every second year by the qualified electors of the several counties.
(b) The Arkansas Senate shall consist of members to be chosen every four (4) years by the qualified electors of the several districts.
(c)(1)(A) A Except as provided in subdivision (c)(1)(E) of this section, a person first elected as a member of the General Assembly before January 1, 2021, shall serve no more than sixteen (16) years, whether consecutive or nonconsecutive. (2)(B) A member first elected as a member of the General Assembly before January 1, 2021, who completes his or her sixteenth year of service during a term of office for which he or she has been elected may serve until the completion of that term of office. (3)(C) The years of service in both the Senate and the House of Representatives shall be added together and included to determine the total number of years in office of a member of the General Assembly first elected as a member of the General Assembly before January 1, 2021. (4)(D) A partial legislative term served as a result of a special election under Article 5, § 6, or a two-year term served as a result of apportionment of the Senate shall not be included in calculating the total number of years served by a member of the General Assembly first elected as a member of the General Assembly before January 1, 2021. (E)(i) A person who has served sixteen (16) or more years in the General Assembly under subdivision (c)(1) of this section shall not be eligible for subsequent service in the General Assembly until four (4) years after the expiration of the last term of office in the General Assembly for which he or she was elected.
(ii) Subsequent service in the General Assembly under subdivision (c)(1)(E)(i) of this section shall be as provided under subdivision (c)(2) of this section. (2)(A)(i) A person first elected as a member of the General Assembly on or after January 1, 2021, shall serve no more than twelve (12) consecutive years.
(ii) A member of the General Assembly first elected to the General Assembly on or after January 1, 2021, who serves twelve (12) or more consecutive years shall not be eligible for subsequent service in the General Assembly until four (4) years after the expiration of the last term of office in the General Assembly for which he or she was elected.
(B) A member first elected to the General Assembly on or after January 1, 2021, who completes his or her twelfth consecutive year of service during a term of office for which he or she has been elected may serve until the completion of that term of office. (C) Consecutive years of service in both the Senate and the House of Representatives shall be added together and included to determine the total number of consecutive years in office of a member first elected to the General Assembly on or after January 1, 2021.
(D)(i) A two-year term served as a result of apportionment of the Senate shall be included in calculating the total number of consecutive years served by a member of the General Assembly first elected to the General Assembly on or after January 1, 2021.
(ii) A partial legislative term served as a result of a special election under Article 5,
§ 6, shall not be included in calculating the total number of consecutive years served by a member of the
General Assembly first elected to the General Assembly on or after January 1, 2021.
SECTION 2. This amendment shall be: (1) Known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Term Limits Amendment”; and (2) Effective on and after January 1, 2021. SECTION 3. BALLOT TITLE AND POPULAR NAME.
When this proposed amendment is submitted to the electors of this state on the general election ballot: (1) The title of this joint resolution shall be the ballot title; and (2) The popular name shall be “A Constitutional Amendment to Amend the Term Limits Applicable to Members of the General Assembly, to be Known as the “Arkansas Term Limits Amendment”.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I HAVE HEREUNTO SET MY HAND AND FIXED THE OFFICIAL SEAL OF THE OFFICE OF SECRETARY OF STATE ON THIS 15TH DAY OF APRIL, 2020.