INITIATIVE/REFERENDUM PETITIONS S.B. 952 (S-2) & 954 (S-2):
FLOOR SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 952 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Senate Bill 954 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Senator Cameron S. Brown (S.B. 952)
Senator Michelle A. McManus (S.B. 954)
Committee: Campaign and Election Oversight
CONTENT
Senate Bill 952 (S-2) would amend the Michigan Election Law to revise requirements regarding petitions proposing constitutional amendments, initiated legislation, or referendum legislation. The bill would do the following:
-- Require the full text of a proposed constitutional amendment, proposed law, or law subject to the referendum to appear on the signature side of the petition after an introduction specifying the provisions of the Constitution or the law that the proposal was designed to alter, abrogate, or create.
-- Require a objective statement describing the subject matter of the proposal to appear on the signature side if the proposal were too long to be printed in the available space; and require the full text to appear on the reverse side or, if it were too long, to be continued on a fold-over extension.
-- Require language that would be added to be shown in capital letters and language that would be deleted to be struck out with a line.
-- Require a circulator to certify that he or she was qualified to be an elector in the State at the time of circulating the petition, and other assertions.
-- Specify certain warnings and notices that a petition would have to include.
Senate Bill 954 (S-2) would amend the Michigan Election Law to extend certain requirements in Section 544c of the Law to local ballot question petitions under a statute that refers to Section 488 (the section that Senate Bill 954 (S-2) would amend). (The applicable requirements of Section 544c set forth a "certificate of circulator" and pertain to spaces on the petition for the circulator and the elector to sign.)
The bills are tie-barred and would take effect on November 15, 2010.
MCL 168.482 (S.B. 952) Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
168.488 (S.B. 954)
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Date Completed: 1-19-10 Fiscal Analyst: Joe Carrasco
floor\sb952 Analysis available @ http://www.michiganlegislature.org
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb952&954/0910