WEST virginia legislature

2020 regular session

Introduced

House Joint Resolution 106

By Delegate Higginbotham, Ellington and Hanna

[Introduced January 16, 2020; Referred
to the Committee on Government Organization then Judiciary]

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West Virginia , amending article VI, section 22 thereof, relating to creating split legislative regular sessions; naming the 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 2020, which proposed amendment is that article VI, section 22 be amended to read as follows: insert year and description of amendments

ARTICLE VI. The Legislature.

 §22. Length of Legislative Session.

            The regular session of the Legislature held in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-three and every fourth year thereafter shall, in addition to the meeting days proceeding the adjournment provided for In section eighteen of this article, not exceed sixty thirty consecutive calendar days computed from and including the second Wednesday of February, and an additional thirty consecutive calendar days starting the first day in the month of June, and the regular session held in all other years shall not exceed sixty thirty calendar days computed from and including the second Wednesday of January, and an additional thirty consecutive days starting the first day in the month of June. Any regular session may be extended by a concurrent resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members elected to each house determined by yeas and nays and entered on the journals.

Resolved further, That in accordance with the provisions of article eleven, chapter three of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, such amendment is hereby numbered “Amendment No. 1” and designated as the “Split Legislative Session Amendment” and the purpose of the proposed amendment is summarized as follows:  “To amend the State Constitution to provide that the Legislature meet for 30 consecutive days when it first meets and then  meet for an additional 30 days beginning the first day of June.“

NOTE: The purpose of this resolution is to provide for a divided legislative session of 30 consecutive days when it first meets and then an additional 30 consecutive days starting the first day of June.