HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 15
(By Delegate Pulliam)
(Introduced February 15, 1995; referred to the
Committee on Constitutional Revision.)
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West
Virginia, amending section three, article six thereof,
relating to limiting the terms of the members of the House
of Delegates and the Senate to twelve 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 one thousand nine hundred ninety-six,
which proposed amendment is that section three, article six
thereof be amended, to read as follows:
ARTICLE SIX. THE LEGISLATURE.
§3. Senators and delegates -- Terms of office.
Senators shall be elected for the term of four years, and
delegates for the term of two years. The senators first elected,
shall divide themselves into two classes, one senator from every
district being assigned to each class; and of these classes, thefirst 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, so that after the first election, one half of the
senators shall be elected biennially.
No person may be elected or appointed as a senator or as a
member of the House of Delegates who has served in that office,
or at the expiration of his current term if he is so serving will
have served, twelve years or more, from any district of this
state.
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 "Legislative term limit amendment," and the purpose of the
proposed amendment is summarized as follows: "To amend section
three, article six of the State Constitution to provide for a
term limit of twelve years for senators and the members of the
House of Delegates."
NOTE: The purpose of this resolution is to limit the terms
for senators and members of the House of Delegates to twelve
years.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present Constitution, and underscoring indicates new
language that would be added.