HJR1011
An Amendment To The Arkansas Constitution Concerning Constitutional Amendments Considered By Electors At A General Election.
Last Action (May 1, 2023): Died in House Committee at Sine Die Adjournment
Sponsors
AI-Generated Summary
House Joint Resolution 1011 proposes an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to increase the threshold for adopting constitutional amendments from a simple majority to a two-thirds supermajority of electors. The bill applies this higher threshold to both citizen-initiated measures and those proposed by the General Assembly. Additionally, the resolution limits the number of constitutional amendments the General Assembly can propose for any single general election to two, with a specific exception allowing for a third amendment to address the salaries of certain elected state officials. The amendment further specifies the ballot title and popular name for this proposed change and sets an effective date of January 1, 2025. The core purpose is to make the process of amending the state constitution more restrictive by requiring broader voter consensus.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries of this bill would be those who prefer institutional stability and a more difficult process for changing the state constitution, as the supermajority requirement creates a higher barrier to entry for proposed amendments. Supporters often include entities or interest groups that seek to maintain the existing constitutional framework and limit the influence of citizen-initiated ballot measures or rapid legislative changes to the state's founding document.
Who Might Suffer?
The groups most negatively impacted by this bill would be citizens, advocacy groups, or political movements that utilize the initiative process to propose constitutional changes, as their measures would face a significantly higher hurdle to achieve passage. Furthermore, voters who favor a lower threshold for constitutional amendments would see their relative influence diminished by the transition to a supermajority requirement, potentially making it more difficult to enact reforms that lack near-universal consensus.
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