Constitution Revision Commission

Introduction

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) is a group of 37 people appointed to review and recommend changes to the Florida Constitution once every 20 years. The Governor appoints 15 members, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President each pick nine members, three members are chosen by the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, and the Florida Attorney General is a member as well. Appointments had to be made within 30 days of the start of the 2017 legislative session, which began March 7.

After the full Commission is named, Article XI, Section 2(c) of the Florida Constitution grants the Commission its authority:

Each constitution revision commission shall convene at the call of its chair, adopt its rules of procedure, examine the constitution of the state, hold public hearings, and, not later than one hundred eighty days prior to the next general election, file with the custodian of state records its proposal, if any, of a revision of this constitution or any part of it.

CRC Process

Governor Rick Scott appointed the Chair and upon the conclusion of the 2017 session the CRC began its work. The CRC will hold public hearings throughout the state where citizens can attend and share ideas and feedback on potential proposals for the ballot. After gathering public input, the CRC will recommend proposals for the 2018 General Election (November 6, 2018). The proposals will be placed on the ballot and voters will decide what passes. Proposals require 60 percent of the vote in order to pass.

Unlike other methods of amending the State Constitution, the recommendations of the CRC do not have a single subject requirement. Because of this flexibility, the CRC has the opportunity to package non-germane issues in the hopes of increasing the likelihood of passage by voters.

View the CRC's roadmap about how a proposal becomes law. 

Timeline of CRC

  • March 2017: 2017-2018 Constitution Revision Commission named
  • 2017 Legislative Session: Appropriations for Commission’s work
  • May/June 2017: 2017-2018 Constitution Revision Commission began work
  • May 2018: Commission submits proposals to Secretary of State
  • November 2018: Citizens vote on proposals