Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5139 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- H 5139
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7	7	LC000113
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
15	15	TO APPROVE, PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF
16	16	AMENDMENT TO THE CON STITUTION OF THE STATE -- FOUR YEAR TERMS AND
17	17	TERM LIMITS FOR REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS
18	18	Introduced By: Representatives J. Lombardi, Hull, and Felix
19	19	Date Introduced: January 22, 2025
20	20	Referred To: House State Government & Elections
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23	23	RESOLVED, That a majority of all members elected to each house of the general 1
24	24	assembly voting therefor, the following amendment to the Constitution of the State be proposed 2
25	25	to the qualified electors of the State in accordance with the provisions of Article XIV of the 3
26	26	Constitution for their approval and that it take the place of Article IV, section 1, which is hereby 4
27	27	amended to read as follows: 5
28	28	ARTICLE IV 6
29	29	OF ELECTIONS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE 7
30	30	SECTION 1. Election and terms of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, 8
31	31	attorney-general, general treasurer, and general assembly members. -- The governor, 9
32	32	lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney-general, general treasurer shall be elected on the 10
33	33	Tuesday after the first Monday in November, quadrennially commencing A.D. 1994, and every 11
34	34	four (4) years thereafter, and shall severally hold their offices, subject to recall as provided herein, 12
35	35	for four (4) years from the first Tuesday of January next succeeding their election and until their 13
36	36	successors are elected and qualified. No person shall serve consecutively in the same general 14
37	37	office for more than two (2) full terms, excluding any partial term of less than two (2) years 15
38	38	previously served. 16
39	39	The senators and representatives in the general assembly shall be elected on the Tuesday 17
40	40	after the first Monday in November, biennially in even numbered years, and shall severally hold 18
41	41	their offices for two (2) years from the first Tuesday of January next succeeding their election and 19
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45	45	until their successors are elected and qualified, until the elections held in 2028. 1
46	46	Quadrennially in even numbered years commencing in 2028, the representatives and 2
47	47	senators in the general assembly shall be elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday in 3
48	48	November, and shall severally hold their offices for four (4) years from the first Tuesday of 4
49	49	January next succeeding their election and until their successors are elected and qualified, and 5
50	50	shall serve consecutively for not more than three (3) full four (4) year terms. 6
51	51	Recall is authorized in the case of a general officer who has been indicted or informed 7
52	52	against for a felony, convicted of a misdemeanor, or against whom a finding of probable cause of 8
53	53	violation of the code of ethics has been made by the ethics commission. Recall shall not, however 9
54	54	be instituted at any time during the first six (6) months or the last year of an individual's term of 10
55	55	office. Such a recall may be instituted by filing with the state board of elections an application for 11
56	56	issuance of a recall petition against said general officer which is signed by duly qualified electors 12
57	57	equal to three percent (3%) of the total number of votes cast at the last preceding general election 13
58	58	for that office. If, upon verification, the application is determined to contain signatures of the 14
59	59	required number of electors, the state board of elections shall issue a recall petition for circulation 15
60	60	amongst the electors of the state. Within ninety (90) days of issuance, recall petitions containing 16
61	61	the signatures of duly qualified electors constituting fifteen percent (15%) of the total number of 17
62	62	votes cast in the last preceding general election for said office must be filed with the state board 18
63	63	of elections. The signatures to the application and to the recall petition need not all be on one (1) 19
64	64	sheet of paper, but each such application and petition must contain an identical statement naming 20
65	65	the person to be recalled, the general office held by said person, and the grounds for such recall 21
66	66	set forth in a statement of one hundred (100) words or less approved by the board of elections. 22
67	67	Each signatory must set forth his or her signature as it appears on the voting list, the date of 23
68	68	signing, and his or her place of residence. The person witnessing the signatures of each elector on 24
69	69	said petition must sign a statement under oath on said sheet attesting that the signatures thereon 25
70	70	are genuine and were signed in his or her presence. If the requisite number of signatures are not 26
71	71	obtained within said ninety (90) days period, the recall effort shall terminate. Upon verification of 27
72	72	the requisite number of signatures, a special election shall be scheduled at which the issue of 28
73	73	removing said office holder and the grounds therefor shall be placed before the electors of the 29
74	74	state. If a majority of those voting support removal of said office holder, the office shall be 30
75	75	immediately declared vacant and shall be filled in accordance with the constitution and laws of 31
76	76	the state. The person so removed shall not be eligible to fill the unexpired portion of the term of 32
77	77	office. The general assembly shall provide by statute for implementation of the recall process. 33
78	78	RESOLVED, That the said proposition of amendment shall be submitted to the electors 34
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82	82	for their approval or rejection at the next statewide general election. The voting places in the 1
83	83	several cities and towns shall be kept open during the hours required by law for voting therein for 2
84	84	general officers of the state; and be it further 3
85	85	RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause the said proposition of amendment to 4
86	86	be published as a part of this resolution in the newspapers of the state prior to the date of the said 5
87	87	meetings of the said electors; and said proposition shall be inserted in the warrants or notices to 6
88	88	be issued previous to said meetings of the electors for the purpose of warning the town, ward, or 7
89	89	district meetings, and said proposition shall be read by the town, city, ward, or district meetings to 8
90	90	be held as aforesaid; and be it further 9
91	91	RESOLVED, That the town, city, ward, and district meetings to be held aforesaid shall 10
92	92	be warned, and the list of voters shall be canvassed and made up, and the said town, ward, and 11
93	93	district meetings shall be conducted in the same manner as now provided by law for the town, 12
94	94	city, ward, and district meetings for the election of general officers of the state. 13
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101	101	EXPLANATION
102	102	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
103	103	OF
104	104	J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
105	105	TO APPROVE, PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF
106	106	AMENDMENT TO THE CON STITUTION OF THE STATE -- FOUR YEAR TERMS AND
107	107	TERM LIMITS FOR REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS
108	108	***
109	109	This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the State Constitution, Article IV, 1
110	110	Section 1, that would create four (4) year terms for general assembly members and impose term 2
111	111	limits of three (3) full four (4) year terms on said members commencing with the 2028 election. 3
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