Senate Bill sb2920c1

    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 2920

    By the Committee on Ethics and Elections; and Senators Atwater
    and Smith




    313-2517-04

  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 proposed

10         amendments or revisions to the State

11         Constitution; providing an 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 to read:

17         100.371  Initiatives; procedure for placement on

18  ballot.--

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

20  the appropriate supervisor of elections for verification as to

21  the number of registered electors whose valid signatures

22  appear thereon. The supervisor shall promptly verify the

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

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

25  99.097. Upon completion of verification, the supervisor shall

26  execute a certificate indicating the total number of

27  signatures checked, the number of signatures verified as valid

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

29  congressional district. This certificate shall be immediately

30  transmitted to the Secretary of State. The supervisor shall

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

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






    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 2920
    313-2517-04




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

 2  the Division of Elections notifies the supervisors of

 3  elections that the committee which circulated the petition is

 4  no longer seeking to obtain ballot position.

 5         Section 2.  At least 60 days prior to the election on a

 6  proposed amendment or revision to the State Constitution, the

 7  Secretary of State shall conduct a public hearing in each

 8  congressional district on the proposed constitutional

 9  amendment or revision. The Secretary of State shall publish

10  notice of the public hearing in one newspaper of general

11  circulation in the most populous municipality in each

12  congressional district at least 14 days prior to the hearing.

13         Section 3.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2005.

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15          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
16                         Senate Bill 2920

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18  The committee substitute differs from the original bill in
    that public hearings on amendments or revisions to the State
19  Constitution must be held at least 60 days prior to the
    election and that publication of notice of the public hearing
20  must occur at least 14 days prior to the hearing.

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