SENATE BILL NO. 397
INTRODUCED BY L. GROSFIELD, MANGAN, BECK, BERRY, GRIMES, HARGROVE, HEDGES, MASOLO, MCCANN, MCGEE, MCNUTT, D. MOOD, OLSON, ROUSH, SHEA, SLITER, TESTER, F. THOMAS
AN ACT SUBMITTING TO THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF MONTANA AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III, SECTIONS 4 AND 7, OF THE MONTANA CONSTITUTION TO CHANGE THE DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTORS WHO MUST PETITION TO PLACE A STATUTORY INITIATIVE ON THE BALLOT FROM 5 PERCENT IN AT LEAST ONE-THIRD OF THE LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICTS TO 5 PERCENT IN AT LEAST ONE-HALF OF THE COUNTIES AND TO CHANGE THE METHOD OF DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF QUALIFIED ELECTORS FROM THOSE IN A LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT LAST VOTING FOR GOVERNOR TO THOSE IN A COUNTY LAST VOTING FOR GOVERNOR.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
Section 1. Article III, section 4, of The Constitution of the State of Montana is amended to read:
"Section 4. Initiative. (1) The people may enact laws by initiative on all matters except appropriations of money and local or special laws.
(2) Initiative petitions must contain the full text of the proposed measure, shall be signed by at least five percent of the
qualified electors in each of at least one-third one-half of the legislative representative districts counties and the total
number of signers must be at least five percent of the total qualified electors of the state. Petitions shall be filed with the
secretary of state at least three months prior to the election at which the measure will be voted upon.
(3) The sufficiency of the initiative petition shall not be questioned after the election is held."
Section 2. Article III, section 7, of The Constitution of the State of Montana is amended to read:
"Section 7. Number of electors. (1) The number of qualified electors required in each legislative representative district and in the state shall be determined by the number of votes cast for the office of governor in the preceding general election.
(2) For the purposes of a statutory initiative, the number of qualified electors required in each county and in the state shall be determined by the number of votes cast for the office of governor in the preceding general election."
Section 3. Submission to electorate. This amendment shall be submitted to the qualified electors of Montana at the general election to be held in November 2002 by printing on the ballot the full title of this act and the following:
[] FOR requiring that signatures be gathered in each of one-half of the counties rather than one-third of legislative districts for statutory initiatives.
[] AGAINST requiring that signatures be gathered in each of one-half of the counties rather than one-third of legislative districts for statutory initiatives.
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Latest Version of SB 397 (SB0397.ENR)
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