Bill Text: FL S0904 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Impeachment and Suspension of State Attorneys and Public Defenders

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2017-05-05 - Died in Ethics and Elections [S0904 Detail]

Download: Florida-2017-S0904-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2017                                    SJR 904
       
       
        
       By Senator Steube
       
       
       
       
       
       23-01540-17                                            2017904__
    1                       Senate Joint Resolution                     
    2         A joint resolution proposing amendments to Section 17
    3         of Article III and Section 7 of Article IV and the
    4         creation of a new section in Article XII of the State
    5         Constitution to authorize the House of Representatives
    6         to impeach state attorneys and public defenders for
    7         misdemeanors in office and subject them to trial by
    8         the Senate, if impeached; preserve the Governor’s
    9         existing authority to suspend state attorneys and
   10         public defenders from office; and to provide that
   11         state attorneys and public defenders who hold office
   12         on or after the amendment’s effective date are subject
   13         to impeachment.
   14          
   15  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         That the following amendments to Section 17 of Article III
   18  and Section 7 of Article IV and the creation of a new section in
   19  Article XII of the State Constitution are agreed to and shall be
   20  submitted to the electors of this state for approval or
   21  rejection at the next general election or at an earlier special
   22  election specifically authorized by law for that purpose:
   23                             ARTICLE III                           
   24                             LEGISLATURE                           
   25         SECTION 17. Impeachment.—
   26         (a) The governor, lieutenant governor, members of the
   27  cabinet, justices of the supreme court, judges of district
   28  courts of appeal, judges of circuit courts, and judges of county
   29  courts, state attorneys, and public defenders shall be liable to
   30  impeachment for misdemeanor in office. The house of
   31  representatives by two-thirds vote shall have the power to
   32  impeach an officer. The speaker of the house of representatives
   33  shall have power at any time to appoint a committee to
   34  investigate charges against any officer subject to impeachment.
   35         (b) An officer impeached by the house of representatives
   36  shall be disqualified from performing any official duties until
   37  acquitted by the senate, and, unless impeached, the governor may
   38  by appointment fill the office until completion of the trial.
   39         (c) All impeachments by the house of representatives shall
   40  be tried by the senate. The chief justice of the supreme court,
   41  or another justice designated by the chief justice, shall
   42  preside at the trial, except in a trial of the chief justice, in
   43  which case the governor shall preside. The senate shall
   44  determine the time for the trial of any impeachment and may sit
   45  for the trial whether the house of representatives be in session
   46  or not. The time fixed for trial shall not be more than six
   47  months after the impeachment. During an impeachment trial
   48  senators shall be upon their oath or affirmation. No officer
   49  shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the
   50  members of the senate present. Judgment of conviction in cases
   51  of impeachment shall remove the offender from office and, in the
   52  discretion of the senate, may include disqualification to hold
   53  any office of honor, trust or profit. Conviction or acquittal
   54  shall not affect the civil or criminal responsibility of the
   55  officer.
   56  
   57                             ARTICLE IV                            
   58                              EXECUTIVE                            
   59         SECTION 7. Suspensions; filling office during suspensions.—
   60         (a) By executive order stating the grounds and filed with
   61  the custodian of state records, the governor may suspend from
   62  office any state officer except as provided in subsection (d)
   63  not subject to impeachment, any officer of the militia not in
   64  the active service of the United States, or any county officer,
   65  for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness,
   66  incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, or
   67  commission of a felony, and may fill the office by appointment
   68  for the period of suspension. The suspended officer may at any
   69  time before removal be reinstated by the governor.
   70         (b) The senate may, in proceedings prescribed by law,
   71  remove from office or reinstate the suspended official and for
   72  such purpose the senate may be convened in special session by
   73  its president or by a majority of its membership.
   74         (c) By order of the governor any elected municipal officer
   75  indicted for crime may be suspended from office until acquitted
   76  and the office filled by appointment for the period of
   77  suspension, not to extend beyond the term, unless these powers
   78  are vested elsewhere by law or the municipal charter.
   79         (d)The lieutenant governor, members of the cabinet,
   80  justices of the supreme court, judges of district courts of
   81  appeal, judges of circuit courts, and judges of county courts
   82  are not subject to suspension from office by the governor.
   83  
   84                             ARTICLE XII                           
   85                              SCHEDULE                             
   86         Impeachment of state attorneys and public defenders.—The
   87  amendment to Section 17 of Article III authorizing impeachment
   88  of state attorneys and public defenders applies to state
   89  attorneys and public defenders who hold office on or after the
   90  effective date of the amendment.
   91  
   92         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
   93  placed on the ballot:
   94                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                     
   95                       ARTICLE III, SECTION 17                     
   96                        ARTICLE IV, SECTION 7                      
   97                             ARTICLE XII                           
   98         IMPEACHMENT AND SUSPENSION OF STATE ATTORNEYS AND PUBLIC
   99  DEFENDERS.—Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to
  100  authorize the House of Representatives to impeach state
  101  attorneys and public defenders for misdemeanors in office and
  102  the Senate to conduct a trial in the event of impeachment. The
  103  amendment preserves the Governor’s existing authority to suspend
  104  state attorneys and public defenders from office; and provides
  105  that state attorneys and public defenders who hold office on or
  106  after the amendment’s effective date are subject to impeachment.

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