HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16
(By Delegate Ennis, Manchin, Shelton, Evans,
Faircloth and Givens)
[Introduced March 9, 2001; referred to the Committee on
Constitutional Revision then the Judiciary.]
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West
Virginia, amending section three, article six thereof,
relating to increasing the terms of members of the House of
Delegates from two to four years; and increasing the terms of
members of the State Senate from four to six years; 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 two thousand two, which proposed amendment is that section
three, article six thereof be amended and reenacted, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE VI. THE LEGISLATURE.
§3. Senators and delegates -- Terms of office.
Senators shall be elected for the term of four six years and
delegates for the term of two four years. The senators first
elected, shall divide themselves into two three classes, one
senator from every district being assigned to each class; and of
these classes, the first to be designated by lot in such manner as
the Senate may determine, shall hold their seats for two years,
and the second for four years and the third for six years, so that
after the first election, one half third of the senators shall be
elected biennially. The delegates first elected for four-year
terms, shall divide themselves into two classes, each delegate from
every district being assigned to each class; and, of these classes,
the first to be designated by lot in a manner as the House of
Delegates may determine, shall hold their seats for two years and
the second for four years, so that after the first election in
which they serve four-year terms, one half of the delegates shall
be elected biennially.
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 "Increase of Terms of Members of the Legislature Amendment,"
and the purpose of the proposed amendment is summarized as follows:
"To increase the terms of members of the House of Delegates from
two years to four years; and to further increase the terms of members of the State Senate from four to six years."
NOTE: The purpose of this resolution is to propose an
amendment to the state constitution that would increase the terms
of members of the House of Delegates from two to four years, and
would increase the terms of members of the State Senate from four
to six years.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present Constitution, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.