Amendments, Third General Assembly, 1847:

Biennial Sessions (Article IV, Sections 2, 3, 5, 6) {Adopted}

Suffrage (Article VI, Section 1) {Adopted}

Judicial Terms (Article V, Section 12)

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AMENDMENTS

to the

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA,

Adopted by the Second and Third General Assemblies

of the State of Florida

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AN ACT to amend the Constitution of this State so as to make the sessions of the General Assembly biennial instead of annual.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Florida in General Assembly convened, That the second clause [Section 2] of the fourth article [Article IV] of the Constitution of this State be so amended as to read as follows, viz: 2d. The members of the House of Representatives shall be chosen by the qualified voters, and shall serve for the term of two years, from and after the day of the first election under the amended Constitution, and no longer; and the sessions of the General Assembly shall be biennial, and commence on the fourth Monday in November, in each and every second year, or at such other times as may be prescribed by law.

Section 2. Be it further enacted, That the third clause [Section 3] of the fourth article [Article IV] of the Constitution be amended so that the same shall read as follows: 3d. That the Representatives shall be chosen on the first Monday in the month of October , in each and every second year, from and after the first election under this amended Constitution, or on such other day as may be directed by law.

Section 3. Be it further enacted, That the fifth clause [Section 5] of the aforesaid article [Article IV] be so amended as to read as follows, viz: The Senators shall be chosen by the qualified electors, for the term of four years, at the same time, in the same manner, and in the same place where they vote for members of the House of Representatives; and no person shall be a Senator unless he be a white man, a citizen of the United States, and shall have been an inhabitant of this State for two years next preceding his election, and the last year a resident of the district or county for which he shall be chosen, and shall have attained the age of twenty-five years.

Section 4. Be it further enacted, That the sixth clause [Section 6] of the aforesaid article [Article IV] be so amended as to read as follows, viz: The classification of Senators, as made at the first session of the General Assembly held in the year 1845, shall continue unchanged; one-half of whom, as nearly as possible, shall be chosen forever hereafter biennially for the term of four years: Provided, however, and it is hereby declared, that the term of office of that class of Senators unexpired at the first election under the amended Constitution, shall extend to, and expire on, the first Monday in October , eighteen hundred and fifty.

Section 5. Be it further enacted, That the first election for Assemblymen, under this amended Constitution, shall take place on the first Monday in October, eighteen hundred and forty-eight; and the first session of the General Assembly, under this amended Constitution, shall commence on the fourth Monday in November, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-eight.

[Second General Assembly. -- Passed Senate by Constitutional majority, December 22, 1846. Passed House of Representatives by Constitutional majority, December 29, 1846.]

[Third General Assembly. -- Passed the Senate by the Constitutional majority, December 21, 1847. Passed the House of Representatives by the Constitutional majority, December 23, 1847.]

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AN ACT so to amend the Constitution of this State as to extend to all free white male inhabitants, being citizens of the United States, who shall have resided within this State one year, the elective franchise.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Florida in General Assembly convened, That the first clause [Section 1] of the sixth article [Article VI] of the Constitution be so amended as follows, viz: Every free white male person of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, and who shall be, at the time of offering to vote, a citizen of the United States, and who shall have resided and had his habitation, domicil, home, and place of permanent abode in Florida for one year next preceding the election at which he shall offer to vote, and who shall, at such time, and for six months immediately preceding said time, have had his habitation, domicil, home and place of permanent abode, in the county in which ne may offer to vote, shall be deemed a qualified voter at all elections under this Constitution, and none others; except in elections by general ticket in the State or District prescribed by law, in which cases, the elector must have been a resident of the State one year next preceding the election, and six months within the election district in which he offers to vote: Provided, That no soldier, seaman or marine, in the Regular Army or Navy of the United States, unless he were a qualified elector of this State previous to his enlistment as such soldier, seaman, or marine in the Regular Army or Navy of the United States, or of the revenue service, shall be considered a resident of the State in consequence of being stationed within the same.

[Second General Assembly. -- Passed Senate by Constitutional majority, December 1, 1846. Passed House of Representatives by Constitutional majority, December 16, 1846.]

[Third General Assembly. -- Passed Senate by Constitutional majority, December 21, 1847. Passed House of Representatives by Constitutional majority, December 23, 1847.]

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AMENDMENT

to the

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA,

Proposed and agreed to by the Third General Assembly; Subject to the action of the next General Assembly.

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AN ACT to amend the 12th Clause [Section 12] of the 5th Article [Article V] of the Constitution of this State, so that the Judges of the Circuit Courts shall hold their offices for term of eight years, instead of during good behavior.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Florida in General Assembly convened, That the 12th Clause [Section 12] of the 5th Article [Article V] of the Constitution of this State, be so amended as to read as follows, viz: That at the expiration of the present term of office of the Judges of the Circuit Courts, with the exception hereinafter mentioned, the Justices of the Supreme Court, and the Judges of the Circuit Courts, shall be elected for a term of eight years, and shall hold their offices for that term, unless sooner removed under the provisions made in this Constitution, for the removal of Judges by address or impeachment; and for wilful neglect of duty, or other reasonable cause, which shall not be sufficient ground for impeachment, the Governor shall remove any of them, on the address of two-thirds of the General Assembly; Provided, however, That the cause or causes shall be stated at length in such address and entered on the Journals of each House. And provided, further, That the cause or causes shall be notified to the Judge so intended to be removed, and he shall be admitted to a hearing in his own defense, before any vote for such removal shall pass: and in such cases the vote shall be taken by yeas and nays and entered on the Journals of each House respectively.

Section 2. Be it further enacted, That the Judges first appointed under this amended Constitution, shall be divided by lot into four classes. The first class shall hold his or their office or offices for the term of two years, the second for the term or four years, the third for the term of six years, the fourth for the term of eight years.

[Third General Assembly. -- Passed the Senate by the Constitutional majority, December 22, 1847. Passed the House of Representatives, by the Constitutional majority, January 6, 1848.]