HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

149th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 341

AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE II OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO THE LEGISLATURE AND VOTING ON THE BUDGET APPROPRIATION ACT, BOND AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT ACT, AND ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR CERTAIN GRANTS-IN-AID.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE (Two-thirds of all members elected to each house thereof concurring therein):

Section 1. Amend Article II of the Delaware Constitution by making deletions as shown by strikethrough and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 26. Restriction before voting on budget appropriation act, bond and capital improvement act, and act making appropriations for certain grants-in-aid.

The budget appropriation act, bond and capital improvement act, and act making appropriations for certain grants-in-aid shall not be voted on by either House of the General Assembly within 48 hours of the introduction of such bill or the introduction of any substantive amendment or the introduction of a substitute bill to such bill except pursuant to an act of the General Assembly waiving this section’s requirement that is adopted with the concurrence of three-fourths of all members of each House.

SYNOPSIS

This Act is the first leg of a constitutional amendment that requires the General Assembly to wait 48 hours from the introduction of the budget appropriation bill, bond and capital improvement act, and act making appropriations for certain grants-in-aid bill, or any substantive amendment or substitute bill to such bills before voting on such legislation unless the General Assembly by a three-fourths vote waives this requirement.

The purpose of this provision is to allow all interested persons, including legislators, a reasonable amount of time to review the three significant financial legislative acts before voting on such legislation.

This restriction can be waived if three-fourths of each House of the General Assembly agrees to act in a shorter time period.