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90_SC0014
ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 1
ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 8
Proposes to amend the Illinois Constitution with respect
to legislative powers. Authorizes electors to propose bills
by petition. Provides for submission of such bills to both
houses of the General Assembly and for record votes to be
taken. Effective upon approval by the electors.
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1 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
3 WHEREAS, We are, in the words of President Abraham
4 Lincoln, a "government of the people, by the people, and for
5 the people"; and
6 WHEREAS, An amendment to the Illinois Constitution built
7 upon the Lincoln principles of government will serve to
8 strengthen our democracy; and
9 WHEREAS, The petition rights of our citizens are central
10 to our form of self-government; therefore, be it
11 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
12 OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
13 CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the
14 electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the
15 general election next occurring at least 6 months after the
16 adoption of this resolution a proposition to amend Sections 1
17 and 8 of Article IV of the Constitution as follows:
18 ARTICLE IV
19 THE LEGISLATURE
20 (ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 1)
21 SECTION 1. LEGISLATURE - POWER AND STRUCTURE
22 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the
23 legislative power is vested in a General Assembly consisting
24 of a Senate and a House of Representatives, elected by the
25 electors from 59 Legislative Districts and 118 Representative
26 Districts.
27 (b) The electors reserve to themselves the legislative
28 power to propose bills by petition for consideration by the
29 General Assembly as provided in subsection (b-5) of Section
30 8.
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1 (Source: Amendment adopted at general election November 4,
2 1980.)
3 (ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 8)
4 SECTION 8. PASSAGE OF BILLS
5 (a) The enacting clause of the laws of this State shall
6 be: "Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
7 represented in the General Assembly."
8 (b) The General Assembly shall enact laws only by bill.
9 Except as provided in subsection (b-5), bills may originate
10 in either house, but may be amended or rejected by the other.
11 (b-5) Bills may be proposed by a petition signed by a
12 number of electors equal in number to at least 6% of the
13 total votes cast for candidates for Governor in the preceding
14 gubernatorial election. A petition shall contain the text of
15 the bill, shall have been signed by the petitioning electors
16 not more than one year preceding the filing of the petition,
17 and shall be filed with the Secretary of State not earlier
18 than the second Wednesday in January in any year and not
19 later than the fourth Wednesday in March in that year. The
20 procedure for determining the validity and sufficiency of a
21 petition shall be provided by law, but the procedure shall
22 take not longer than 30 days.
23 If a petition is determined to be valid and sufficient as
24 provided by law, the bill proposed by the petition shall be
25 proposed to the members of the House of Representatives by
26 the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the
27 members of the Senate by the President of the Senate. The
28 bill may not be amended by either house. A record vote of
29 all the members of the House of Representatives and all the
30 members of the Senate shall be taken on the bill not more
31 than 30 days after the petition is determined to be valid and
32 sufficient.
33 (c) No bill shall become a law without the concurrence
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1 of a majority of the members elected to each house. Final
2 passage of a bill shall be by record vote. In the Senate at
3 the request of two members, and in the House at the request
4 of five members, a record vote may be taken on any other
5 occasion. A record vote is a vote by yeas and nays entered on
6 the journal.
7 (d) A bill shall be read by title on three different
8 days in each house. A bill and each amendment thereto shall
9 be reproduced and placed on the desk of each member before
10 final passage.
11 Bills, except bills for appropriations and for the
12 codification, revision or rearrangement of laws, shall be
13 confined to one subject. Appropriation bills shall be limited
14 to the subject of appropriations.
15 A bill expressly amending a law shall set forth
16 completely the sections amended.
17 The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the
18 President of the Senate shall sign each bill that passes both
19 houses to certify that the procedural requirements for
20 passage have been met.
21 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
22 SCHEDULE
23 This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon approval
24 by the electors of this State.