Senate Bill sb0900c1

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 900

    By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senator Posey





    590-2499-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to initiative petitions;

  3         providing a short title; amending s. 100.371,

  4         F.S.; requiring initiative petition forms to be

  5         signed by the constitutionally required

  6         distribution of electors; providing procedures

  7         for revocation of a signature on a petition

  8         form; providing an effective date.

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

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12         Section 1.  This act may be cited as the "Beatrice T.

13  Posey Truth in Petition Act."

14         Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 100.371, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended, present subsection (6) of that section

16  is renumbered as subsection (7) and amended, and a new

17  subsection (6) is added to that section, to read:

18         100.371  Initiatives; procedure for placement on

19  ballot.--

20         (1)  Constitutional amendments proposed by initiative

21  shall be placed on the ballot for the general election,

22  provided the initiative petition has been filed with the

23  Secretary of State no later than February 1 of the year the

24  general election is held. A petition shall be deemed to be

25  filed with the Secretary of State upon the date the secretary

26  determines that valid and verified the petition forms have has

27  been signed by the constitutionally required number and

28  distribution of electors under this code, subject to the right

29  of revocation established in this section.

30         (6)(a)  An elector's signature on a petition form may

31  be revoked by submitting to the appropriate supervisor of

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 900
    590-2499-07




 1  elections a signed petition-revocation form adopted by rule

 2  for this purpose by the division.

 3         (b)  The petition-revocation form and the manner in

 4  which signatures are obtained, submitted, and verified shall

 5  be subject to the same relevant requirements and timeframes as

 6  the corresponding petition form and processes under this code

 7  and shall be approved by the Secretary of State before any

 8  signature on a petition-revocation form is obtained.

 9         (c)  Supervisors of elections shall provide

10  petition-revocation forms to the public at all main and branch

11  offices.

12         (d)  The petition-revocation form shall be filed with

13  the supervisor of elections by February 1 preceding the next

14  general election or, if the initiative amendment is not

15  certified for ballot position in that election, by February 1

16  preceding the next successive general election. The supervisor

17  of elections shall promptly verify the signature on the

18  petition-revocation form and process such revocation upon

19  payment, in advance, of a fee of 10 cents or the actual cost

20  of verifying such signature, whichever is less. The supervisor

21  shall promptly record each valid and verified

22  petition-revocation form in the statewide voter registration

23  system in the manner prescribed by the Secretary of State.

24         (7)(6)  The Department of State may adopt rules in

25  accordance with s. 120.54 to carry out the provisions of

26  subsections (1)-(6) (1)-(5).

27         Section 3.  This act shall take effect August 1, 2007.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 900
    590-2499-07




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                              SB 900

 3                                 

 4  This committee substitute differs from the underlying bill in
    that it:
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    --   Names the bill as the "Beatrice T. Posey Truth in
 6       Petition Act"; and

 7  --   Retains only provisions creating a process for an elector
         to revoke an initiative petition.
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