NY State Senate Bill 2023-S5319

Senate Bill S5319

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Concurrent resolution to amend the constitution to increase the length of the term of office and imposing term limits for members of the legislature

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 29, 2024	opinion referred to judiciary
Jan 04, 2024	to attorney-general for opinion
Jan 03, 2024	referred to judiciary
Apr 04, 2023	opinion referred to judiciary
Mar 10, 2023	to attorney-general for opinion
Mar 01, 2023	referred to judiciary

2023-S5319 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Judiciary
Law Section:: Constitution, Concurrent Resolutions to Amend
Laws Affected:: Amd Art 3 §2, Constn
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S5459
2015-2016: S57
2017-2018: S608
2019-2020: S618
2021-2022: S6117

2023-S5319 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Increases the length of the term of office of members of the legislature to four years; imposes term limits for members of the legislature.

2023-S5319 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5319

SPONSOR: WEIK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment
to section 2 of article 3 of the constitution, in relation to increasing
the length of the term of office and imposing term limits for members of
the legislature

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To increase the length of term of office for members of the legislature
from two years to four years and would limit members of the legislature
from serving more than three consecutive four year terms.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends Section 2 Article 3 of the constitution to increase
the length of term of office for members of the legislature from two
years to four years and would limit members of the legislature from
serving more than three consecutive four year terms.

Section 2. Establishes effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In the past few months there have been arrests and inquiries into
several public elected officials. Accordingly New York State needs to
undergo drastic election reform to prevent the repetition of such
events. This legislation would increase the length of the term of office
from two years to four years. Such a term increase would allow legisla-
tors to focus more intently on serving the needs of constituents rather
than the up-coming election cycle. The second section of this legis-
lation would limit the terms of members of the legislators to three
consecutive four year terms (to twelve years total). A limit such as
this one would benefit the legislature by preventing members from becom-
ing "career politicians" - members who serve in the legislature endless-
ly and who may become out of touch with their constituents by promoting
policies beneficial to their tenure in office rather than constituent
needs and desires. An overall term limit would also decrease the empha-
sis on elections for members of the legislature by maintaining a set
number of allowed years, and therefore upcoming elections, to be served.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2022: S6117 Judiciary

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

2023-S5319 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5319
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 1, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEIK  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
 
             CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY
 
 proposing an amendment to section 2 of article 3 of the constitution, in
   relation to increasing the length of the term of office  and  imposing
   term limits for members of the legislature
 
   Section  1. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That section 2 of arti-
 cle 3 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:
   § 2. The senate shall consist of fifty members, except as  hereinafter
 provided.  The  senators [elected in the year one thousand eight hundred
 and ninety-five shall hold their offices  for  three  years,  and  their
 successors]  shall be [chosen] ELECTED for TERMS OF two years; PROVIDED,
 THAT SENATORS ELECTED IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR AND IN SUBSE-
 QUENT YEARS SHALL HOLD THEIR OFFICES FOR FOUR YEARS. The assembly  shall
 consist  of one hundred and fifty members. The assembly members [elected
 in the year one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  their
 successors,] shall be [chosen] ELECTED for TERMS OF two years; PROVIDED,
 THAT  ASSEMBLY  MEMBERS ELECTED IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR AND
 IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS SHALL HOLD THEIR OFFICES FOR FOUR YEARS.
   NO PERSON ELECTED TO OFFICE IN THE SENATE IN  THE  YEAR  TWO  THOUSAND
 TWENTY-FOUR  AND  IN  SUBSEQUENT  YEARS  SHALL  SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE
 SENATE FOR MORE THAN  THREE  CONSECUTIVE  FOUR  YEAR  TERMS.  NO  PERSON
 ELECTED  TO  OFFICE IN THE ASSEMBLY IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR
 AND IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS SHALL SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY FOR MORE
 THAN THREE CONSECUTIVE FOUR YEAR TERMS. ANY PARTIAL TERM OF OFFICE  HELD
 AS  A  MEMBER  OF THE LEGISLATURE PRIOR TO THE ELECTION TO A CONSECUTIVE
 FOUR YEAR TERM SHALL NOT  BE  USED  TO  CALCULATE  ANY  TERM  LIMITATION
 IMPOSED PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH.
   §  2. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That the foregoing amendments
 be referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the
 next succeeding general election of members of  the  assembly,  and,  in
 conformity  with  section  1  of  article  19  of  the  constitution, be
 published three months previous to the time of such election.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD89096-01-3

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