Back in March, we updated researchers on new material that was added to State Constitutions Illustrated. In the last nine months, we’ve added more material! Read below for an update to see what’s new in this database.

Updates from March to Date

Since March, 37 additional current documents have been added to 12 states. All states are up to date as of the elections of November 13, 2020.

We will continue to post state constitutional content news right here in the HeinOnline Blog. Be sure to subscribe to our blog to receive notifications when new posts are published.

From the November 5, 2019 Elections

MAINE

We now include the consolidated text, as amended to the elections of 5 November 2019 [Amendment CLXXIV], from the Maine State Legislature. This brings Maine’s collection current and up-to-date.

From the April 7, 2020 Elections

WISCONSIN

We added the consolidated text, as amended to the elections of 7 April 2020, from the Legislative Reference Bureau. This provides an Annotated Text with the previous text of Articles amended to the Consolidated Texts.

From the November 3, 2020 Elections

LOUISIANA

We now include the consolidated text, as amended to 2020, from the Louisiana State Senate. The text includes the amendments ratified at the elections of 3 November 2020.

From the May 18, 2021 Elections

PENNSYLVANIA

We now include the text of the amending laws adopted at the elections of 18 May 2021. The Bill, SB 1166, included three ballot measures to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution, including:

• Question 1: Legislative Resolution to Extend or Terminate Emergency Declaration Amendment, allowing the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass a resolution, which the governor cannot veto, by a simple majority to extend or terminate the governor’s emergency declaration.
• Question 2: Governor’s Emergency Declaration Amendment, limiting the governor’s emergency declaration to 21 days unless the legislature votes on a concurrent resolution to extend the order and provide that the state legislature shall pass laws related to how disaster emergencies must be managed.
• Question 3: Equal Rights Regardless of Race or Ethnicity Amendment, the Governor’s Emergency Declaration, prohibiting the denial or abridgement of rights on account of an individual’s race or ethnicity.

All three ballot measures were passed. We include the text of the amending laws from the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

From the November 2, 2021 Elections

NEW JERSEY

Now available is the text of the constitutional amendment from the New Jersey State Legislature:

• Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 159/New Jersey Public Question 2, which allows organizations that are otherwise permitted to hold bingo or raffles to use the proceeds to support their organization or group.

NEW YORK

We added the text of the following amendments from the New York State Legislature:

• New York Proposal 2, which adds a right to clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment to the New York’s Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
• New York Proposal 5, which allows the New York City Civil Court to hear and decide lawsuits involving claims of $50,000, rather than the current threshold of $25,000.

MAINE

We include the text of the constitutional amendment to establish a right to food, from the Maine State Legislature:

• A Resolution/Maine Question 3, which amends the Maine Constitution to create a state right to growing, raising, harvesting, and producing food, as long as an individual does not commit trespassing, theft, poaching, or abuses to private land, public land, or natural resources.

TEXAS

We added the text of the following amendments from the Texas State Legislature:

• House Joint Resolution 143/Proposition 1, which amends the state constitution to authorize professional sports team charitable foundations to conduct raffles at rodeo venues and include professional association-sanctioned rodeos in the definition of professional sports team.
• House Joint Resolution 99/Proposition 2, which authorizes counties to issue bonds to fund transportation and infrastructure projects in blighted areas; prohibits counties from allocating more than 65% of property tax revenue increases annually to repay the bonds; and prohibits counties from using the funds from the issuance of the bonds to build a toll road.
• Senate Joint Resolution 27/Proposition 3, which amends the state constitution to prohibit the state or any political subdivision from enacting a law, rule, order, or proclamation that limits religious services or organizations.
• Senate Joint Resolution 47/Proposition 4, which makes changes to eligibility requirements for a justice of the Supreme Court, a judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, a justice of a Court of Appeals, and a district judge.
• House Joint Resolution 165/Proposition 5, which adds a section to the state constitution that authorizes the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate and discipline candidates seeking state judicial office in the same manner as judicial officeholders.
• Senate Joint Resolution 19/Proposition 6, which amends the state constitution to establish a right for residents of nursing or assisted living facilities to designate an essential caregiver, who cannot be prohibited from in-person visitation.
• House Joint Resolution 125/Proposition 7, which amends the state constitution to allow the surviving spouse of a disabled individual to maintain a homestead property tax limit if the spouse is 55 years of age or older at the time of the death and remains at the homestead.
• Senate Joint Resolution 35/Proposition 8, which amends the state constitution to allow the legislature to provide a homestead property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a military member “killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.”

What’s more, we added the Texas Legislative Council Analysis of Proposed Constitutional Amendments and the Texas Legislative Council Condensed Analysis of Proposed Constitutional Amendments. We include a Bill Analysis from the Texas House Research Organization for each amendment that was passed on November 2, 2021.

From the November 13, 2021 Elections

LOUISIANA

We have added the text of the amending law from the Louisiana State Legislature:

• Act No. 134/Amendment No. 2, which amends the Louisiana Constitution to decrease the maximum rate of individual income tax from 6% to 4.75%.

Additional Current Documents

MARYLAND

We added the consolidated text of the Constitution of 1867, as Amended to 1934. This document is published by the Secretary of State.

NEW MEXICO

We added the consolidated text of 1910/1911/1912, as Amended to 1967 and 1980. These documents are published by the Secretary of State.

VERMONT

We added the consolidated text of the Constitution of 1793, as Amended to 1974. This document is published by
the Secretary of State.

WASHINGTON

We added the consolidated text of the Constitution of 1889, as Amended to 1966. The document is published by
the Secretary of State.

WYOMING

We added the consolidated text of the Constitution of 1889/1890, as Amended to 1949, 1957, 1976, 1982, and 1988. These documents are published by the Secretary of State.

State Constitutions Illustrated LibGuide

To learn more about how to search and navigate in this new database, check out the LibGuide! Explore search tips and discover all the material included in this comprehensive collection.

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