Florida Amendment 2: Abolish the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC)
For more information visit Ballotpedia, a source for much of the following information.
What is the Constitution Revision Commission?
The CRC is one of five methods for proposing amendments to the Florida State Constitution. It is convened every 20 years and consists of 37 appointed (not elected) members. Amendments proposed by the CRC go directly to the ballot for public ratification. Members of the commission can directly propose amendments.
How and Why was the CRC created?
Florida's Constitution Revision Commission was created in 1965 to prepare recommendations for the revision of the 1885 Florida Constitution. The commission proposed a new constitution which was ratified in 1968.
VOTE YES ON AMENDMENT 2:
ABOLISH THE CONSTITUTION REVISION
COMMISSION MEASURE
Is the CRC for We the People?
In 2017, according to a survey conducted by Breakthrough Research, 8 in 10 Floridians had never even heard of the CRC. So while there’s a claim that this is a way for We the People to have a voice in our constitution, clearly no grand effort has been made throughout Florida to invite We the People to the discussion table.
More than 782 proposals were made to the commission from the public in 2017-2018. We may never know how many might have garnered support from voters. With so many proposals, compared to the 7 which made the ballot (18 if you unbundle them all), it’s difficult to say who the commission was really serving.
We the People have a more direct way to change our state constitution. And ironically, using the initiative approach to amend our constitution, we must provide amendments which “embrace but one subject”. So, with us in charge of the amendments, you won’t see ballot measures bundling death benefits with college fees or oil drilling with indoor vaping.
And that is why, in 2020, Convention of States Action backed legislation to abolish the Constitution Revision Commission which will be on the ballot in November.
VOTE YES ON AMENDMENT 2:
ABOLISH THE CONSTITUTION REVISION
COMMISSION MEASURE
What is Amendment 2?
Amendment 2: Abolish the Constitution Revision Commission is a measure every Florida voter will see on the 2022 ballot. It was proposed by the Florida State Legislature. It passed the Senate by a vote of 27-12. It passed the House by a vote of 86-28. And we at Convention of States Action urge voters to pass it with a Yes vote in November (YES — abolish the CRC).
On your November ballot, the amendment will read like this:
Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to abolish the Constitution Revision Commission, which meets at 20-year intervals and is scheduled to next convene in 2037, as a method of submitting proposed amendments or revisions to the State Constitution to electors of the state for approval. This amendment does not affect the ability to revise or amend the State Constitution through citizen initiative, constitutional convention, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, or legislative joint resolution.
What do supporters of Amendment 2 (those wanting to abolish the CRC) say?
-
National Association of Former State Legislators: “The original intent of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), (Art. 11, Sec. 2, FL Const.), is to propose nominal revisions (if any) to the Florida Constitution that would reduce the size and scope of the document, clean up arcane or outdated language, and/or streamline the document for efficiency and clarity.
Unfortunately, the CRC, which is an unelected body with no oversight or accountability, has consistently violated its intent and purpose by proposing unrestrained amendments to the Florida Constitution.
Under the heavy influence of special interest groups who are not able to pass their issues through the legislative process, the CRC has been putting forward confusing, intentionally misleading, and politically bundled amendments that do not even belong in a constitution.
In essence, the CRC behaves like a constitutionally prescribed Legislature by basically developing policy language and creating changes normally within the purview of an elected legislative body. As a result, the normal and proper functions of government are being bypassed and statutory language is being proposed under the guise of revisions to the constitution.
Consequently, the elected representatives of the people are losing their ability to effectively govern as resource allocation and directives are being mandated in a constitution rather than legislated in statute.” 
State Rep. Mike Beltran (R): "The CRC meets once every 20 years and they place amendments onto the ballot for everyone to vote on. They’re one of the only methods of constitutional amendment that allow compounding—that is placing unrelated propositions in one amendment that the voter has to vote up or down on."
State Sen. Jeff Brandes (R): "[The CRC] is rediscovered every 20yrs, has no rules, players have no experience, once it starts it can’t stop, crazy things pop out, and you never know how damaging they will be. Election night, you yell ‘Jumanji.’"- State Sen. Jeff Brandes (R): "The CRC is bipartisanly detested and should be abolished." Brandes also said the individuals appointed to the commission aren't held accountable. "The simple truth is we don’t need it. Other states don’t have it, and what it does is deny the people of the state of Florida the opportunity to hold these individuals accountable, because they’re literally accountable to no one," Brandes said.
Associated Industries of Florida: “The CRC has unique authority that can and has made a major impact on the laws in this state. The mere fact of making law directly in the state Constitution rather than going through the hurdles of normal state law gives this commission a high degree of power. The usual legislative process has layers of checks and balances for proposals to become state law with multiple committees holding hearings in both the House and Senate, an amendment process and vote by each chamber, followed by the final hurdle of approval or veto by the Governor.”
Florida Chamber of Commerce: “The CRC itself is an unusual creature of constitutional construction and is not within one of the traditional three branches of government. A separate lobbyist registration is required. Traditionally, the Governor’s Office has provided full time staff, including an Executive Director. The CRC is led by a Chair, which is appointed by the Governor.” 
Florida Governor Don DeSantis: “I didn’t have enough bandwidth to propose it, but I would like to see the CRC eliminated. I think what happened last election with some of those bundled amendments was not good.”
Even opponents of Amendment 2 (those wanting to retain the CRC) say the CRC is flawed!
The Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board: "... The last review commission, which met in 2017-18, did badly overall." 
Carol Weissert, professor of political science at Florida State University and director of the LeRoy Collins Institute and Lester Abberger, board chair of the LeRoy Collins Institute: "The most recent CRC engaged in "bundling" — lumping several unrelated issues into a single ballot question that required a single up-or-down vote. This led to some confusion among voters."
VOTE YES ON AMENDMENT 2:
ABOLISH THE CONSTITUTION REVISION
COMMISSION MEASURE
* Paid political advertisement paid for by Convention of States Action (5850 San Felipe, Ste. 580A, Houston, TX 77057) independently of any candidate or committee.
