HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 20
(By Delegates Hubbard and Doyle)
(Introduced March 26, 1997; referred to the
Committee on Constitutional Revision.)
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West
Virginia, amending section thirteen, article six thereof,
relating to the eligibility of citizens of the state to
elected public office; numbering and designating such
proposed amendment; and providing a summarized statement of
the purpose of such proposed amendment.
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia, two thirds of
the members elected to each house agreeing thereto:
That the question of ratification or rejection of an
amendment to the Constitution of the State of West Virginia be
submitted to the voters of the State at the next general election
to be held in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight,
which proposed amendment is that section thirteen, article six
thereof, be amended to read as follows:
ARTICLE VI. ELECTIVE OFFICE - LEGISLATIVE, EXECUTIVE.
§13. Eligibility to hold an elected public office.
Every citizen of this state entitled to vote therein, except
a member of Congress, sheriff or clerk of a court of record, is
eligible for election to any state, county or municipal office
and may not be denied eligibility therefor by reason of
employment under the United States of America, this State, or any
subdivision, county or municipality thereof, but no citizen may hold more than one elected or appointed office, established under
this Constitution or general law, in the executive, judicial or
legislative branches of government.
Resolved further, That in accordance with the provisions of
article eleven, chapter three of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, such proposed
amendment is hereby numbered "Amendment No. 1" and designated as
the "Fair and Equal Citizenship Amendment" and the purpose of the
proposed amendment is summarized as follows: "The purpose of
this amendment is to amend the Constitution of West Virginia to
remove the prohibition against election to state, county and
municipal public office of employees of federal, state and local
government."
NOTE: The purpose of this resolution is to amend the
Constitution to remove certain prohibitions on election to public
office of employees of federal, state and local government,
except members of Congress, sheriffs or clerks of courts of
record. The amendment also prohibits any person from holding
more than one elected or appointed office in the executive,
legislative or judicial branches of state government.
This section has been entirely rewritten; therefore,
strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.