HJR010 Long, Elizabeth L. Oetting, David A

P R E F I L E D

HJR 10 -- County Government

Co-Sponsors: Long and Oetting

This proposed constitutional amendment allows any county, regardless of its classification, to frame, adopt, and amend a charter for its own government. Such a charter must be approved by the qualified electors of the county.

Any county may also frame a county constitution. The voters of the county must first approve the establishment of a county constitution commission, which would consist of 14 residents of the county appointed by the circuit judges. This commission will have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, and its members cannot receive pay. In order to be adopted, the constitution framed by the commission must be approved by the voters, who will have had several chances to read the text of the proposed constitution in the local newspapers. Voters must also approve amendments to an existing constitution.

If voters reject the proposed constitution, the county must wait 2 years before voting on the creation of another county constitution commission to frame another proposed constitution.