Senate Bill sb2920

    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2920

    By Senators Atwater and Smith





    25-1847-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to constitutional amendments

  3         proposed by initiative; amending s. 100.371,

  4         F.S.; providing a deadline by which the

  5         supervisors of elections must verify the

  6         validity of signatures submitted in support of

  7         a citizen initiative to amend the State

  8         Constitution; requiring the Secretary of State

  9         to conduct public hearings on constitutional

10         amendments proposed by initiative; providing an

11         effective date.

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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Subsection (4) of section 100.371, Florida

16  Statutes, is amended, present subsections (6) and (7) of that

17  section are redesignated as subsections (7) and (8),

18  respectively, and a new subsection (6) is added to that

19  section, to read:

20         100.371  Initiatives; procedure for placement on

21  ballot.--

22         (4)  The sponsor shall submit signed and dated forms to

23  the appropriate supervisor of elections for verification as to

24  the number of registered electors whose valid signatures

25  appear thereon. The supervisor shall promptly verify the

26  signatures within 60 days after the upon payment of the fee or

27  the filing of the oath claiming an undue burden required by s.

28  99.097. Upon completion of verification, the supervisor shall

29  execute a certificate indicating the total number of

30  signatures checked, the number of signatures verified as valid

31  and as being of registered electors, and the distribution by

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2920
    25-1847-04




 1  congressional district. This certificate shall be immediately

 2  transmitted to the Secretary of State. The supervisor shall

 3  retain the signature forms for at least 1 year following the

 4  election in which the issue appeared on the ballot or until

 5  the Division of Elections notifies the supervisors of

 6  elections that the committee which circulated the petition is

 7  no longer seeking to obtain ballot position.

 8         (6)  At least 90 days prior to the general election,

 9  the Secretary of State shall conduct a public hearing in each

10  congressional district on all constitutional amendments

11  proposed by initiative which have been certified for ballot

12  position. The Secretary of State shall publish notice of the

13  public hearing in one newspaper of general circulation in the

14  most populous municipality in each congressional district at

15  least 30 days prior to the hearing.

16         Section 2.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2005.

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19                          SENATE SUMMARY

20    Requires the supervisors of elections to verify the
      validity of signatures submitted in support of a citizen
21    initiative to amend the State Constitution within 60 days
      after submission. Requires the Secretary of State to
22    conduct a public hearing on constitutional amendments
      proposed by initiative in each congressional district.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.