CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.House Bill 0287
Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HJR 287
By Representative Livingston
1 House Joint Resolution
2 A joint resolution proposing the creation of
3 Section 26 of Article I of the State
4 Constitution, to provide for amendment or
5 revision of statutory law by citizen
6 initiative.
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8 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10 That the creation of Section 26 of Article I of the
11 State Constitution set forth below is agreed to and shall be
12 submitted to the electors of Florida for approval or rejection
13 at the general election to be held in November 1998:
14 ARTICLE I
15 DECLARATION OF RIGHTS
16 SECTION 26. Statutory change by citizen initiative.--
17 (a) The power to propose the revision or amendment of
18 any portion or portions of statutory law by initiative is
19 reserved to the people, provided that any such revision or
20 amendment, except for those limiting the power of government
21 to raise revenue, shall embrace but one subject and matter
22 directly connected therewith. It may be invoked by filing
23 with the secretary of state a petition containing a copy of
24 the proposed revision or amendment, signed by a number of
25 electors in each of one half of the congressional districts of
26 the state, and of the state as a whole, equal to five percent
27 of the votes cast in each of such districts respectively and
28 in the state as a whole in the last preceding election in
29 which presidential electors were chosen.
30 (b) A proposed amendment to or revision of statutory
31 law by initiative, or any part of it, shall be submitted to
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HJR 287
549-132-97
1 the electors at the next general election held more than
2 ninety days after the initiative petition proposing it has
3 been filed with the secretary of state.
4 (c) Once in the tenth week and once in the sixth week
5 immediately preceding the week of the election at which it
6 shall be submitted to the electors, the proposed amendment or
7 revision, with notice of the date of the election at which it
8 will be submitted to the electors, shall be published in one
9 newspaper of general circulation in each county in which such
10 newspaper is published.
11 (d) If the proposed amendment or revision is approved
12 by a vote of the electors, it shall be effective as an
13 amendment or revision to statutory law on the first Tuesday
14 after the first Monday in January following the election, or
15 on such other date as may be specified in the amendment or
16 revision.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in accordance with the
18 requirements of section 101.161, Florida Statutes, the title
19 and substance of the amendment proposed herein shall appear on
20 the ballot as follows:
21 AMENDMENT OR REVISION OF STATUTORY LAW
22 BY CITIZEN INITIATIVE
23 Authorizes citizens to amend or revise statutory law by
24 means of an initiative process similar to that used to amend
25 the State Constitution. Requires the petition, containing
26 signatures of five percent of the voters, based on the last
27 presidential election, in one-half of the congressional
28 districts and the whole state, to be submitted to the
29 Secretary of State more than ninety days before the general
30 election at which the statutory change will be voted on.
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