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91_HC0008
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1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
3 WHEREAS, Under the Illinois Constitution of 1870 the
4 elected Lieutenant Governor presided over the Illinois Senate
5 and succeeded the Governor in the event of a vacancy in that
6 office; and
7 WHEREAS, Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970 the
8 Lieutenant Governor does not preside over the Senate, and the
9 only remaining duties are to succeed the Governor and perform
10 any other functions delegated by the Governor or by statute;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, In the entire history of Illinois, only five
13 Lieutenant Governors have succeeded to the office of
14 Governor, most recently in 1968; and in 1981 the Lieutenant
15 Governor resigned, leaving the office vacant for over a year
16 and a half; and
17 WHEREAS, The Lieutenant Governor could be eliminated from
18 the chain of succession, and the current statutory and
19 delegated functions of the Lieutenant Governor could be
20 transferred to other agencies of State government, all
21 without the loss of services to the citizens of Illinois;
22 therefore, be it
23 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
24 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
25 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to
26 the electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the
27 general election next occurring at least 6 months after the
28 adoption of this resolution a proposition to amend Article V
29 of the Illinois Constitution by repealing Sections 4 and 14
30 and by changing Sections 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 as follows:
31 ARTICLE V
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1 THE EXECUTIVE
2 (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 1)
3 SECTION 1. OFFICERS
4 The Executive Branch shall include a Governor, Lieutenant
5 Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller
6 and Treasurer elected by the electors of the State. They
7 shall keep the public records and maintain a residence at the
8 seat of government during their terms of office.
9 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
10 (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 2)
11 SECTION 2. TERMS
12 The These elected officers of the Executive Branch shall
13 hold office for four years beginning on the second Monday of
14 January after their election and, except in the case of the
15 Lieutenant Governor, until their successors are qualified.
16 They shall be elected at the general election in 1978 and
17 every four years thereafter.
18 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
19 (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 3)
20 SECTION 3. ELIGIBILITY
21 To be eligible to hold the office of Governor, Lieutenant
22 Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller
23 or Treasurer, a person must be a United States citizen, at
24 least 25 years old, and a resident of this State for the
25 three years preceding his election.
26 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
27 (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 4 rep.)
28 SECTION 4. JOINT ELECTION (REPEALED)
29 In the general election for Governor and Lieutenant
30 Governor, one vote shall be cast jointly for the candidates
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1 nominated by the same political party or petition. The
2 General Assembly may provide by law for the joint nomination
3 of candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
4 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
5 (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 6)
6 SECTION 6. GUBERNATORIAL SUCCESSION
7 (a) In the event of a vacancy, the order of succession
8 to the office of Governor or to the position of Acting
9 Governor shall be the Lieutenant Governor, the elected
10 Attorney General, the elected Secretary of State, and then as
11 provided by law.
12 (b) If the Governor is unable to serve because of death,
13 conviction on impeachment, failure to qualify, resignation or
14 other disability, the office of Governor shall be filled by
15 the officer next in line of succession for the remainder of
16 the term or until the disability is removed.
17 (c) Whenever the Governor determines that he may be
18 seriously impeded in the exercise of his powers, he shall so
19 notify the Secretary of State and the officer next in line of
20 succession. The latter shall thereafter become Acting
21 Governor with the duties and powers of Governor. When the
22 Governor is prepared to resume office, he shall do so by
23 notifying the Secretary of State and the Acting Governor.
24 (d) The General Assembly by law shall specify by whom
25 and by what procedures the ability of the Governor to serve
26 or to resume office may be questioned and determined. The
27 Supreme Court shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction
28 to review such a law and any such determination and, in the
29 absence of such a law, shall make the determination under
30 such rules as it may adopt.
31 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
32 (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 7)
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1 SECTION 7. VACANCIES IN OTHER ELECTIVE OFFICES
2 If the Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller
3 or Treasurer fails to qualify or if his office becomes
4 vacant, the Governor shall fill the office by appointment.
5 The appointee shall hold office until the elected officer
6 qualifies or until a successor is elected and qualified as
7 may be provided by law and shall not be subject to removal by
8 the Governor. If the Lieutenant Governor fails to qualify or
9 if his office becomes vacant, it shall remain vacant until
10 the end of the term.
11 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
12 (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 14 rep.)
13 SECTION 14. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR - DUTIES (REPEALED)
14 The Lieutenant Governor shall perform the duties and
15 exercise the powers in the Executive Branch that may be
16 delegated to him by the Governor and that may be prescribed
17 by law.
18 (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
19 SCHEDULE
20 This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon the
21 conclusion of the term of the Lieutenant Governor elected in
22 1998.