CHAPTER 555

An Act to provide for the submission of a proposed amendment to § 115-4
of the Constitution of Virginia to the qualified voters for ratification or
rejection, and to prescribe when and how such referendum shall be
had, and the manner in which the results thereof shall be ascertained
and certified, the returns canvassed, and the vote thereon proclaimed
by the Governor.

[S 38]

Approved April 6, 1954
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. It shall be the duty of the officers conducting the election directed by
law to be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, nine-
teen hundred fifty-four at the places appointed for holding the same, to
open a poll and take the sense of the qualified voters upon the ratification
or rejection of the proposed amendment to the Constitution of Virginia,
contained in the joint resolution proposing the said amendment to the Con-
stitution of Virginia, and directing a submission of said proposed amend-
ment to the people for their approval and ratification, to wit:

Strike from the Constitution of Virginia section one hundred and
fifteen-a, which reads as follows:

§ 115-a. No debt shall be contracted by any county, or by or on behalf
of any district of any county, or by or on behalf of any school board of any
county, or by or on behalf of any school district in any county, except in
pursuance of authority conferred by the General Assembly by general law;
and the General Assembly shall not authorize any county, or any district of
any county, or any school board of any county, or any school district in any
county, to contract any debt except to meet casual deficits in the revenue, a
debt created in anticipation of the collection of the revenue of the said
county, board or district for the then current year, or to redeem a previous
liability, unless in the general law authorizing the same provision be made
for the submission to the qualified voters of the proper county or district,
for approval or rejection, by a majority vote of the qualified voters voting
in an election, on the question of contracting such debt; and such approval
shall be a prerequisite to contracting such debt. No scrip, certificate or
other evidence of county or district indebtedness shall be issued except for
such debts as are expressly authorized in this Constitution or by the laws
made in pursuance thereof.

And insert in lieu thereof the following:

§ 115-a. No debt shall be contracted by any county, or by or on behalf
of any district of any county, or by or on behalf of any school board of any
county, or by or on behalf of any school district in any county, except in
pursuance of authority conferred by the General Assembly by general law;
and the General Assembly shall not authorize any county, or any district of
any county, or any school board of any county, or any school district in
any county, to contract any debt except to meet casual deficits in the
revenue, a debt created in anticipation of the collection of the revenue of
the said county, board or district for the then current year, or to redeem a
previous liability, unless in the general law authorizing the same provision
be made for the submission to the qualified voters of the proper county or
district, for approval or rejection, by a majority vote of the qualified
voters voting in an election, on the question of contracting such debt; and
such approval shall be a prerequisite to contracting such debt. No scrip,
certificate or other evidence of county or district indebtedness shall be is-
sued except for such debts as are expressly authorized in this Constitution
or by the laws made in pursuance thereof.

This section shall not be construed as prohibiting the General As-
sembly from authorizing by general law the school board of any county,
with the approval of the governing body of such county, from contracting
to borrow money from the Virginia Supplemental Retirement System, or
any successor thereto, for the purpose of school construction without
having first submitted the question to the qualified voters of such county.

Schedule

At such election a ballot shall be furnished each voter which shall
have printed thereon the following:

Question: Shall section one hundred fifteen-a of the Constitution of
Virginia be amended so as to permit county school boards to borrow
money from the Retirement System without a vote of the people?

For ‘=
Against [J

The ballot shall be prepared, distributed and voted, and the results
thereof ascertained and certified, in the manner prescribed by § 24-141 of
the Code of Virginia. It shall be the duty of the clerks and commissioners
of election of each county and city, respectively, to make out, certify and
forward an abstract of the votes cast for and against said proposed
amendment in the manner now prescribed by law in relation to votes cast
in general elections.

It shall be the duty of the State Board of Elections to open and canvass
the said abstracts of returns, and to examine and make statement of the
whole number of votes given at said election for said proposed amendment
and against said proposed amendment, respectively, in the manner now
prescribed by law in relation to votes cast in general elections; and it shall
be the duty of the State Board of Elections to record said certified state-
ment in its office, and without delay to make out and transmit to the
Governor of the Commonwealth an official copy of said statement, cer-
tified by it.

The Governor shall, without delay, make proclamation of the result,
stating therein the aggregate vote for and against said amendment, to be
published in such newspapers in the State as may be deemed requisite for
general information; and if a majority of said votes be cast for the rati-
fication of the amendment, he shall annex to his proclamation a copy there-
of. The State Board of Elections shall cause to be sent to the clerks of
each county and corporation, at least thirty days before the election, as
many copies of this act as there are places of voting therein; and it shall
be the duty of such clerks to forthwith deliver the same to the sheriffs of
their respective counties and cities for distribution. Each such sheriff
shall forthwith post a copy of such act at some public place in each election
district at or near the usual voting place in the said district.

The expenses incurred in conducting this election shall be defrayed as
in the case of the election of members of the General Assembly.