(SB 78)
Initiative and referendum process revised.
Section
1.
That
§
2-1-2
be amended to read as follows:
2-1-2.
The petition shall be filed in the
office of the secretary of state
Office of the Secretary
of State
by the first Tuesday in
May
April
of a general election year for submission to the electors
at the next general election.
Section
2.
That
§
2-1-6.2
be amended to read as follows:
2-1-6.2.
The full text of any initiative petition, referred law petition, or initiated constitutional
amendment petition, the date of the general election at which the initiated law or initiated
constitutional amendment is to be submitted, and the names and addresses of the petition sponsors
shall be filed with the secretary of state prior to circulation for signatures. The signer's post office
box number may be given in lieu of a street address if the signer lives within a municipality of the
second or third class. The form of the petitions shall be prescribed by the State Board of Elections.
For any initiated constitutional amendment petition, no signatures may be obtained more than
twenty-four months preceding the general election that was designated at the time of filing of the
full text. For any initiative petition, no signatures may be obtained more than
eighteen
nineteen
months preceding the general election that was designated at the time of filing of the full text. An
initiative petition and an initiated constitutional amendment petition shall be filed with the
secretary of state by the date set forth in § 2-1-2 or 2-1-2.1, as applicable. All sections of any
petition filed under this chapter shall be filed with the secretary of state simultaneously together
with a sworn affidavit on forms promulgated by the State Board of Elections, signed by two-thirds
of the sponsors stating that the documents filed constitute the entire petition and to the best of their
knowledge contain a sufficient number of signatures.
Section
3.
That
§
12-13-9
be amended to read as follows:
12-13-9.
Before the
fourth
third
Tuesday in
July
May
, the attorney general shall deliver to the
secretary of state
the
an attorney general's
statement
,
for each proposed amendment to the
Constitution and each initiated measure. The attorney general's statement for each referred measure
shall be delivered to the secretary of state before the second Tuesday in July. The attorney general's
statement shall consist of
the title, the explanation, and a clear and simple recitation of the effect
of a "Yes" or "No" vote. The explanation shall
state succinctly
be an objective, clear and simple
summary to educate the voters of
the purpose and
legal
effect of the proposed amendment to the
Constitution, the initiated measure, or the referred law. The
explanation shall be a clear and simple
summary of the issue and
attorney general shall include a description of the legal consequences
of the proposed amendment, the initiated measure, or the referred law, including the likely
exposure of the state to liability if the proposed amendment, the initiated measure, or the referred
law is adopted. The explanation
may not exceed two hundred words in length. On the printed
ballots, the title shall be followed by the explanation and the explanation shall be followed by the
recitation.
Section
4.
That chapter
12-13
be amended by adding thereto a NEW SECTION to read as
follows:
Section
5.
That
§
12-13-23
be amended to read as follows:
12-13-23.
The secretary of state shall
prepare and
distribute public information on any
constitutional amendment, initiated
,
or referred measure submitted to the electors for approval.
The
secretary of state shall compile the public information by printing a statement in support of the
constitutional amendment, initiated, or referred measure written by its proponents, if any can be
identified, and a statement against the constitutional amendment, initiated, or referred measure
written by its opponents, if any can be identified. The secretary of state is not responsible for the
contents, objectivity, or accuracy of the statements written by the proponents and opponents.
Section
6.
That chapter
12-13
be amended by adding thereto a NEW SECTION to read as
follows: