Bill > SCR1050

This joint resolution proposes amendments to the Arizona Constitution regarding the qualifications, conduct, and compensation of state legislators, which will be presented to voters for approval. Key changes include requiring candidates for the legislature to provide specific information on the ballot, such as current employment (limited to three words), education level, military service status, and voting history in the last three general elections, with failure to provide evidence resulting in blank spaces on the ballot. It also mandates that legislators maintain their primary residence within their district, with specific rules for temporary residences near the state capitol and consequences for failing to do so. The resolution clarifies that legislators are generally ineligible for other state offices or employment during their term, with exceptions for roles like school trustee, public school instructor, reserve law enforcement or emergency responders, and guard or reserve military personnel not on full-time orders, and also prohibits legislators from holding offices created by laws they helped pass for four years after their term. Furthermore, it modifies the privilege from arrest to include exceptions for treason, felony, reckless driving, driving under the influence, and breach of the peace, while allowing traffic tickets to be issued but delaying mandatory appearance for hearings until after legislative sessions. The resolution addresses intentional absences by legislators to prevent a quorum, deeming it misconduct punishable by expulsion, and mandates the publication of detailed voting records for each legislative session. Term limits for state senators are adjusted, with terms becoming four years starting in 2031, and a lifetime service limit of twenty years in the legislature is introduced. The process for filling legislative vacancies is also revised, allowing the legislature to act on its own accord to fill seats vacant for over thirty days during a session, requiring appointees to be from the same political party as the vacating legislator. Finally, it establishes new salary structures for legislators, with the Senate salary set at thirty percent of a US Congressional member's salary (excluding leadership positions) and the House of Representatives salary at half of the Senate salary, starting in 2031, and outlines procedures for calculating and adjusting these salaries, including additional pay for leadership positions.

Government Affairs

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/85419