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Massachusetts Question 1, Legislative Recess Rules to Allow 30-Day Limit at Any Time Amendment (1974)
| Massachusetts Question 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic State legislative processes and sessions |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 1 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Massachusetts on November 5, 1974. It was approved.
A “yes” vote supported allowing the Legislature to take recesses totaling up to 30 days at any point during the session, rather than limiting recesses to within the first 60 days of the session. |
A “no” vote opposed changing the existing rule, keeping the requirement that legislative recesses must occur within the first 60 days of the session. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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952,007 | 66.90% | ||
| No | 471,087 | 33.10% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 1 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the constitution summarized below which was approved by the General Court in a joint session of the two branches held August 25, 1971, received 212 votes in the affirmative and 39 in the negative, and in a joint session of the two branches held June 6, 1973, received 235 votes in the affirmative and 19 in the negative? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ | The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved, would replace the present Article 52 of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth and would empower the General Court, bv concurrent vote of the two houses, to take a recess or recesses amounting to not more than thiry days. The present Article 52 permits such recesses but provides that "no such recess shall extend beyond the sixtieth dav" from the beginning of the legislative session. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Massachusetts Constitution
A simple majority vote is required during two successive joint legislative sessions for the Massachusetts State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the joint session of the state legislature, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
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