Eight New Articles for the New York Constitution

Abstract

This essay discusses revision of thirteen articles among the twenty articles of the New York Constitution: article VII (State Finances), article VIII (Local Finances), article X (Corporations), article XI (Education), article XII (Defense), article XIII (Public Officers), article XIV (Conservation), article XV (Canals), article XVI (Taxation), article XVII (Social Welfare), article XVIII (Housing), article XIX (Amendments to Constitution), and article XX (When to Take Effect). One step of the proposed revision is to eliminate an article, among the aforementioned present articles, the subject of which is not wanted in a constitution. Example: Present article XVII (Social Welfare).

Another step of the proposed revision, in relation to an article with a subject which is wanted in a constitution, but which has numerous sections, is to retain the few wanted sections, and to discard the unwanted sections. Example: present article XVI (Taxation), comprised of six sections, would be transformed into revised article XIII (Taxation), comprised of three sections.

A third step is to retain some sections of two articles, each with a subject which is wanted in a constitution, to combine wanted sections into one new article, and to discard the unwanted sections. Example: present article X (Corporations), comprised of eight sections, and present article XI (Education), comprised of three sections, would become revised article VIII (Corporations), comprised of four sections.

Summary: The thirteen present articles would be replaced by eight revised articles. About 22,000 words in the thirteen present articles would be replaced by about 3,000 words in the revised articles, a saving of about 19,000 words.

Other essays about revision of the New York Constitution are:

New Preamble and New Bill of Rights Article for the New York Constitution New Suffrage Article for the New York Constitution New Legislature Article for the New York Constitution New Executive Article for the New York Constitution New Officers and Civil Departments Article for the New York Constitution New Judiciary Article for the New York Constitution New Local Governments Article for the New York Constitution

Keywords: amendment, authority, canal, conservation, compact, corporation, defense, education, Gift and Loan Clause, housing, instrumentality, local finance, public officer, state finance, social welfare, subdivision, taxation

JEL Classification: K10, K40