Senators HEMBREE and CORBIN proposed the following amendment (JUD0001.047):
    Amend the committee report, bearing document number (JUD.001.026), as and if amended, by striking SECTION 7, beginning on line 17 on page [1-7] and inserting:
/     SECTION     7.     Section 2-19-70 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
    "Section 2-19-70.     (A)     No member of the General Assembly nor a member of his immediate family may be elected to a judicial office elected by the General Assembly while he is serving in the General Assembly nor shall that person member of the General Assembly or a member of his immediate family be elected to a judicial office elected by the General Assembly for a period of one year two years after he the member of the General Assembly either:
        (1)     ceases to be a member of the General Assembly; or
        (2)     fails to file for election to the General Assembly in accordance with Section 7-11-15.
For purposes of this section, "immediate family member" means a spouse of a member of the General Assembly or an
individual claimed by the member of the General Assembly as a dependent for income tax purposes. This section does not apply to an individual serving in a judicial office elected by the General Assembly as of the effective date of this act, so long as the individual continuously serves in a judicial office elected by the General Assembly, including but not limited to, a seat on a different court.
    (B)     The privilege of the floor in either house of the General Assembly may not be granted to any candidate or any immediate family member of a candidate unless the family member is serving in the General Assembly, during the time the candidate's application is pending before the commission and during the time his nomination by the commission for election to a particular judicial office is pending in the General Assembly.
    (C)     No candidate for judicial office A person may not seek directly or indirectly seek the pledge of a member of the General Assembly's vote or, directly or indirectly, contact a member of the General Assembly regarding screening for the any judicial office until the qualifications of all candidates for that office have been determined by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and the commission has formally released its report as to the qualifications of all candidates for the vacancy to the General Assembly. No A member of the General Assembly may not directly or indirectly offer his pledge until the qualifications of all candidates for that office have been determined by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and until the commission has formally released its report as to the qualifications of its nominees to the General Assembly. The formal release of the report of qualifications shall occur no earlier than forty-eight hours after the nominees have been initially released to members of the General Assembly. For purposes of this section, indirectly seeking a pledge means the a person, a candidate, or someone acting on behalf of and at the request of the a person or a candidate, requesting a person someone to contact a member of the General Assembly on behalf of the a person or a candidate before nominations for that office are formally made by the commission. The prohibitions of this section do not extend to an announcement of candidacy by the candidate and statements by the candidate detailing the candidate's qualifications.
    (D)     No A member of the General Assembly may not trade anything of value, including pledges to vote for legislation or for other persons or candidates, in exchange for another member's pledge to vote for a candidate for judicial office.
    (E)     Violations of this section may be considered by the merit selection commission when it considers the candidate's qualifications. Violations of this section by members of the General Assembly shall be reported by the commission to the House or Senate Ethics Committee, as may be applicable. Violations of this section by nonlegislative commission members shall be reported by the commission to the State Ethics Commission. A violation of this section is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, the violator must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than ninety days. Cases tried under this section may not be transferred from general sessions court pursuant to Section 22-3-545."         /

    Renumber sections to conform.
    Amend title to conform.