Bills › 89th General Assembly
SSB 1083
Topics:State government
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 25, 2021
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 1, 2021
- Done: Senate committeeFebruary 10, 2021
- Skipped: Passes the SenateContinued as SJR 9
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Became SJR 9 → Its progress continues under the new number. Go to SJR 9 What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the qualification of electors. The joint resolution reduces the voting age in the Constitution of the State of Iowa from years of age to years of age, except that a person who will be years of age by the next general election shall be permitted to vote in a primary election. Eighteen years of age is the current voting age for every election in the United States due to the adoption of the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The resolution, if adopted, would be published and then S.J.R. _____ referred to the next general assembly (90th) for adoption, before being submitted to the electorate for ratification.
Senate subcommittee
Named February 1, 2021. On February 4, 2021 it recommended passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
Fiscal note
AI summary This bill proposes an amendment to the Iowa Constitution to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. The estimated cost to publish the amendment if passed by the 89th General Assembly is $14,400 in fiscal year 2023. If passed a second time by the 90th General Assembly, the estimated cost to publish in all 99 counties would be $178,200 in fiscal year 2025, with the Secretary of State's Office providing reimbursement.2
Read the fiscal note
Description
Senate Joint Resolution 9 proposes an amendment to the Iowa Constitution reducing the voting age from 21 years of age to 18 years of age, except that a person who will be 18 years of age by the next general election is permitted to vote in a primary election.
Background
The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on July 1, 1971. The Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years of age for every election in the United States.
Iowa Code section 49A.1 and the Iowa Constitution require that when a proposed amendment to the Constitution has passed the General Assembly and has been referred to the next succeeding General Assembly, the General Assembly is required to publish the proposed amendment in two newspapers of general circulation in each Iowa congressional district once each month, for three consecutive months, prior to the start of the next General Assembly. Upon passage of the same amendment by the succeeding General Assembly, Iowa Code section 49A.2 requires the amendment to be published in newspapers in all 99 counties once each month for three consecutive months immediately preceding the general election.
Assumptions
- The average cost to publish a proposed constitutional amendment in a single newspaper is $600.
- Publication of the initial amendment would occur monthly in eight newspapers (two in each congressional district) for a three-month period if the proposed amendment were passed by the 89th General Assembly.
- Subsequent publication of the amendment would occur monthly in 99 newspapers (one in each county) for a three-month period prior to the 2024 General Election if the amendment were passed by the 90th General Assembly.
Fiscal Impact
Constitutional Amendment Publication Cost. The estimated cost to publish a proposed constitutional amendment passed by the 89th General Assembly would be $14,400 (8 newspapers x 3 months x $600). The costs would be incurred in the fall of 2022 (FY 2023), prior to the convening of the 2023 Legislative Session.
Assuming the proposed amendment is passed a second time by the 90th General Assembly, the estimated cost would be $178,200 (99 newspapers x 3 months x $600). The costs would be incurred in the fall of 2024 (FY 2025).
These publication costs would be incurred by the Secretary of the Senate’s Office and the Chief Clerk’s Office in the House of Representatives and reimbursed by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.
Sources
- Legislative Services Agency
- Office of the Secretary of State
- Suffrage, Constitutional Amendment · February 15, 2021 · $14,400
- Suffrage, Constitutional Amendment · January 28, 2021
Lobbying
3 for · 0 against · 3 undecided · Who →
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Tried before
Study bill
89th General Assembly
Picked up later
Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title.
Tried before
This idea has been filed in an earlier General Assembly. None became law, though one got through a chamber.
- SJR 2002 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the qualificat…88th General Assembly · Passed Senate · same titlePassed a chamber
Similar bills this General Assembly
- SJR 9 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the qualificat…90th General Assembly · Passed both chambersVery similar
Matched by wording or an identical title.