1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  1.3             article IV, sections 4 and 12; lengthening the term of 
  1.4             office of representatives and senators; requiring 
  1.5             staggered election of representatives and senators; 
  1.6             reducing the number of the days the legislature can 
  1.7             meet; changing the deadline for adjournment; reducing 
  1.8             the size of the legislature; amending Minnesota 
  1.9             Statutes 1996, section 2.021.  
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.] 
  1.12     The following amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  1.13  article IV, section 4, is proposed to the people.  If the 
  1.14  amendment is adopted, the section will read as follows: 
  1.15     Sec. 4.  Representatives shall be chosen for a term of ~~two~~ 
  1.16  four years, except to fill a vacancy.  Senators shall be chosen 
  1.17  for a term of ~~four~~ six years, except to fill a vacancy ~~and~~ 
  1.18  ~~except~~.  There shall be an entire new election of all the 
  1.19  senators and representatives at the first ~~election of~~ 
  1.20  ~~representatives~~ general election after each new legislative 
  1.21  apportionment provided for in this article.  Thereafter, 
  1.22  one-half of the representatives and one-third of the senators, 
  1.23  or as near as possible to one-third if the total number of 
  1.24  senators is not evenly divisible by three, shall be elected 
  1.25  every two years.  The length of representatives' and senators' 
  1.26  first terms after each enumeration provided by this article 
  1.27  shall be determined by lot.  The governor shall call elections 
  2.1   to fill vacancies in either house of the legislature. 
  2.2      and article IV, section 12, will read as follows: 
  2.3      Sec. 12.  The legislature shall meet at the seat of 
  2.4   government in regular session in each biennium at the times 
  2.5   prescribed by law for not exceeding a total of ~~120~~ 100 
  2.6   legislative days.  The legislature shall not meet in regular 
  2.7   session, nor in any adjournment thereof, after the ~~first~~ last 
  2.8   Monday ~~following the third Saturday~~ in ~~May~~ April of any year.  
  2.9   After meeting at a time prescribed by law, the legislature may 
  2.10  adjourn to another time.  "Legislative day" shall be defined by 
  2.11  law.  A special session of the legislature may be called by the 
  2.12  governor on extraordinary occasions. 
  2.13     Neither house during a session of the legislature shall 
  2.14  adjourn for more than three days (Sundays excepted) nor to any 
  2.15  other place than that in which the two houses shall be assembled 
  2.16  without the consent of the other house. 
  2.17     Sec. 2.  [SUBMISSION TO THE VOTERS.] 
  2.18     The proposed amendment shall be submitted to the people at 
  2.19  the 1998 general election.  The question submitted shall be: 
  2.20     "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to reduce the 
  2.21  time spent in legislative session and to stagger and lengthen 
  2.22  the terms of members of the legislature? 
  2.23                                     Yes .......
  2.24                                     No ........"
  2.25     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 2.021, is amended 
  2.26  to read: 
  2.27     2.021 [NUMBER OF MEMBERS.] 
  2.28     For each legislature, until a new apportionment shall have 
  2.29  been made, the senate is composed of ~~67~~ 56 members and the house 
  2.30  of representatives is composed of ~~134~~ 112 members. 
  2.31     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.32     The constitutional amendment in section 1 is effective upon 
  2.33  ratification by the voters and applies to the general election 
  2.34  in 2002, and thereafter, and to sessions of the legislature on 
  2.35  and after January 1, 2003.  Section 3 is effective for the state 
  2.36  general election in 2002, and thereafter.