agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and nays taken thereon. The General Assembly shall cause such amendment or amendments to be published in one or more newspapers in each Congressional District, for two months previous to the time of holding the next general election at which election members of the General Assembly are chosen; and if such proposed amendment directly affects only one or more political subdivisions of the State, then it shall also be advertised in the area to be directly affected thereby; and shall also provide for a submission of such proposed amendment or amendments to the people at said next general election, and if the people shall ratify such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly voting thereon, such amendment or amendments shall become a part of this Constitution; provided that if the proposed amendment is not one that directly affects the whole State, but only one or more subdivisions thereof, said amendment shall not become a part of this Constitution unless it receive both a majority of the electors qualified to vote voting thereon in the State as a whole, and also a majority of the electors qualified to vote voting thereon in the particular subdivision or subdivisions affected. When more than one amendment is submitted at the same time they shall be so submitted as to enable the electors to vote on each amendment separately. Paragraph II. Convention, how called. No convention of the people shall be called by the General Assembly to revise, amend or change this Constitution, unless by the concurrence of two-thirds of all members of each house of the General Assembly. The representation in said convention shall be based on population as near as practicable. This Constitution shall not be revised, amended, or changed by the Convention until the proposed revision, amendment, or change has been submitted and ratified by the people in the manner provided for submission and ratification of amendments proposed by the General Assembly. Paragraph III. Veto not permitted. The Governor shall not have the right to veto any proposal by the General Assembly to amend the Constitution. ARTICLE XIV. MERIT SYSTEM SECTION I. Paragraph I. State Personnel Board. A non-salaried State Personnel Board comprised of three citizens of this State, of known interest in the improvement of public administration, shall administer a State Merit System under which state personnel shall be selected on a basis of merit, fitness, and efficiency according to law. The members of the State Personnel Board shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice of the Senate. The first members shall be appointed for terms of three, five and seven years, respectively, the terms to be designated by the Governor. All subsequent appointments shall be for a period of seven years, except unexpired terms. No State official or employee shall be a member of the State Personnel Board. Paragraph II. Retirement System. Appropriation. The General Assembly is authorized to establish an actuarially sound retirement system for employees under a merit system. Adequate appropriations shall be provided for the operation of a merit system and the State Personnel Board. Paragraph I. ment. ARTICLE XV: HOME RULE Uniform systems of county and municipal govern The General Assembly shall provide for uniform systems of county and municipal government, and provide for optional plans of both, and shall provide for systems of initiative, referendum and recall in some of the plans for both county and municipal governments. The General Assembly shall provide a method by which a county or municipality may select one of the optional uniform systems or plans or reject any or all proposed systems or plans. SECTION II. METHOD OF SUBMISSION That when this amendment shall have been agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, the same shall be entered on their journals with the "ayes" and "nays" taken thereon and shall be published and submitted to the people for ratification or rejection as one single amendment to the Constitution at the next General Election in August, 1945, as provided by law. Those voting in favor of the ratification of the amendment herein proposed shall have written or printed on their ballots the words "for the amendment revising the Constitution." Those voting against the ratification of the amendment herein proposed shall have written or printed on their ballots the words "against the amendment revising the Constitution." If a majority of those voting vote for the amendment revising the Constitution when the results are certified to the Governor, he shall proclaim the amendment revising the Constitution of 1877 as the revised Constitution of Georgia. |