GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1989

S	1 

SENATE BILL 94

Short Title:  Six-Year Gubernatorial Term.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Daniel, Ezzell; Conder, Goldston, Guy, Hunt of Durham, Rauch, Speed, and Winner.
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Referred to:  Constitution.
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February 1, 1989

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR SIX-YEAR TERMS FOR THE GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Section 2 of Article III of the Constitution of North Carolina reads as rewritten:
	"Sec. 2.  Governor and Lieutenant Governor: election, term, and qualifications.
(1)	Election and term.  The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State in 1992 and every six years thereafter at the same time and places as members of the General Assembly are elected.  Their term of office shall be six years and shall commence on the first day of January next after their election and continue until their successors are elected and qualified.
(2)	Qualifications.  No person shall be eligible for election to the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor unless, at the time of his election, he shall have attained the age of 30 years and shall have been a citizen of the United States for five years and a resident of this State for two years immediately preceding his election.  No person elected to either of these offices shall be eligible for election to the next succeeding term of the same office, except that the person elected Lieutenant Governor in 1988 shall be eligible for election to the next succeeding term of that office."
Sec. 2.  The amendment set forth in Section 1 of this act shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the State at the statewide general election to be held in November of 1990, which shall be conducted under the laws then governing elections in the State.
Sec. 3.  At that election, each qualified voter desiring to vote shall be provided a ballot on which shall be printed the following:
"[]	FOR constitutional amendment making the term of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor six years, beginning with the election of 1992, and prohibiting a person from being elected to two successive terms, except that the person elected Lieutenant Governor in 1988 may be elected to another term in 1992.
[]	AGAINST constitutional amendment making the term of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor six years, beginning with the election of 1992, and prohibiting a person from being elected to two successive terms, except that the person elected Lieutenant Governor in 1988 may be elected to another term in 1992."
Those qualified voters favoring the amendment shall vote by marking an "X”or a check mark in the square beside the statement beginning "FOR", and those qualified voters opposed to the amendment shall vote by marking an "X”or a check mark in the square beside the statement beginning "AGAINST".
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, voting machines may be used in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the State Board of Elections.
Sec. 4.  If a majority of votes cast thereon are in favor of the constitutional amendment set out in Section 1 of this act, then the State Board of Elections shall certify that amendment to the Secretary of State who shall enroll that amendment so certified among the permanent records of his office, and the constitutional amendment shall become effective for terms of office beginning on or after January 1, 1993.
Sec. 5.  G.S. 143-13 reads as rewritten:
"§ 143-13. Printing copies of budget report and bills and rules for the introduction of the same.
The Director shall cause to be printed one thousand copies each of the budget report, the Current Operations Appropriations Bill, Capital Improvement Appropriations Bill, and the Budget Revenue Bill. The Governor shall present copies thereof to the General Assembly, together with the biennial message, except incoming Governors may, at the first session of the General Assembly in their respective terms, submit the same after the biennial message has been presented to the General Assembly. The Current Operations Appropriations Bill and the Capital Improvement Appropriations Bill shall be introduced by the chairman of the committee on appropriations in each house of the General Assembly, and the Budget Revenue Bill shall be introduced by the chairmen of the finance committees in each branch of the General Assembly: Provided, that for the years in which the Governor is elected, the Director shall deliver the budget report and the Current Operations Appropriations Bill and the Capital Improvement Appropriations Bill and the Budget Revenue Bill to the Governor-elect, on or before the fifteenth day of December, and the said budget report, Appropriations, and Revenue Bills, shall be presented by the Governor to the General Assembly with such recommendations in the way of amendments, or other modifications, together with such criticism as he may determine. The provisions herein contained as to the introduction of the bills mentioned in this section shall be considered and treated as a rule of procedure in the Senate and House of Representatives until otherwise expressly provided for by a rule in either, or both, of said branches of the General Assembly."
Sec. 6.  Section 5 of this act shall become effective only if the constitutional amendment proposed by Section 1 of this act is approved as provided by Sections 2 through 4 of this act, and if so approved, Section 5 shall become effective January 1, 1991.
Sec. 7. This act is effective upon ratification.