Article 5: Legislative Branch

The legislative power of the State of San Andreas shall be vested in a Legislature, which shall consist of a Senate and an Assembly. This power shall extend to all matters necessary for the peace, safety, and welfare of the State and its inhabitants. The Legislature is empowered to make all laws not inconsistent with this Constitution or the Constitution of the United States of America.

The Senate shall be composed of a number of members, each of whom shall be elected from a Senatorial District. The Assembly shall be composed of a number of members, each of whom shall be elected from an Assembly District. The number of Senators and Assembly members, and the manner of their election, shall be prescribed by this constitution.

In addition to its general law-making authority, the Legislature shall have the following specific powers: To levy and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises. To appropriate funds for the expenses of the government and to provide for the public debt, To establish a uniform system of public schools, To define crimes and provide for their punishment, To establish all courts and tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court, To impeach and remove from office all State officers for malfeasance or misfeasance in office, To organize and provide for the State Militia, and to propose amendments to this Constitution.

An Assembly member must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age and a resident of the State of San Andreas for at least five (5) years immediately preceding the election. A Senator must be at least forty-five (45) years of age and a resident of the State of San Andreas for at least ten (10) years immediately preceding the election.

Members of the Legislature shall be elected by the qualified electors of their respective districts. Assembly members shall be elected to a term of two (2) years and shall not be subject to term limits. Senators shall be elected to a term of six (6) years and shall be limited to a maximum of three (3) consecutive terms.

The Legislature shall have the sole power of impeachment. An impeachment may be initiated by a motion introduced by two members of the Assembly and co-sponsored by a Senator. A bill of impeachment must be passed by a vote of no less than fifty-five percent (55%) of the Assembly. Upon passage, the bill shall be transmitted to the Senate, which shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. The grounds for impeachment shall include, but not be limited to, wrongdoing, corruption, bribery, upon a criminal conviction or indictment, or other unethical behavior. A conviction on impeachment requires the concurrence of no less than sixty-five percent (65%) of the entire Senate. A judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than removal from office and disqualification from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the State of San Andreas.

A majority of the members of each chamber of the Legislature shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A smaller number may adjourn from day to day and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as each chamber may provide. A quorum shall not be called into order unless three-fourths (3/4) of that legislative body are present.

(a) The Senate shall be constituted as a chamber of equal representation. Each senatorial district within the State shall be entitled to the election of two Senators, without regard to population. Senators shall be chosen by the qualified electors of their respective districts in a manner prescribed by law, and such representation shall remain fixed to ensure that all districts, irrespective of size, shall enjoy equal standing within the upper chamber of the General Assembly.

(b) The House of Representatives shall be constituted as a chamber of proportional representation. One Representative shall be elected for every five thousand (5,000) inhabitants residing within an assembly district, as determined by the most recent census authorized by law. Each district shall be drawn in a contiguous and compact manner, and the apportionment of representatives shall reflect, as nearly as practicable, the principle of one person, one vote, so that the will of the people may be fairly expressed in the lower chamber of the General Assembly.

(c) The number of Representatives in the House shall be recalculated and adjusted every ten (10) years, coinciding with the completion of the decennial census, in order to account for changes in population and to preserve the equitable distribution of representation. Such reapportionment shall be conducted in the year following the census, and the revised composition of the House shall take effect with the subsequent coordinated election in an odd-number year.

(d) The boundaries of legislative districts may be redrawn in September preceding the coordinated election to be held in November of each odd-numbered year. Redistricting shall be carried out in accordance with the principles of fairness, population equality, and respect for established political subdivisions, except as otherwise required by law or this Constitution.

(e) The total membership of the General Assembly, composed of both Senators and Representatives, shall not exceed two hundred fifty-five (255) members for a period of ten (10) years from the date of enactment of this amendment. Upon the expiration of such period, the Legislature may provide for additional membership, provided that any expansion shall remain consistent with the principles of equal and proportional representation as herein established.

(f) Upon ratification of this amendment by the people at the general election of November 2024, the provisions of this Section shall take effect immediately for all purposes of legislative representation and apportionment. The first reapportionment of the House of Representatives pursuant to this Section shall occur in September of the year 2027, prior to the coordinated election of that year, and shall be conducted using the most recent census data available. Such apportionment shall remain in effect until revised in accordance with subsection (c). All Senators and Representatives elected under prior constitutional provisions shall continue to serve the remainder of their terms, after which successors shall be chosen in conformity with the requirements of this Section.