Senate Bill sb0900e1
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CS for SB 900 First Engrossed
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; prescribing a time
7 period within which a signed petition form must
8 be submitted to the supervisor of elections to
9 be verified as valid; providing procedures for
10 revocation of a signature on a petition form;
11 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. This act may be cited as the "Beatrice T.
16 Posey Truth in Petition Act."
17 Section 2. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 100.371,
18 Florida Statutes, are amended, present subsection (6) of that
19 section is renumbered as subsection (7) and amended, and a new
20 subsection (6) is added to that section, to read:
21 100.371 Initiatives; procedure for placement on
22 ballot.--
23 (1) Constitutional amendments proposed by initiative
24 shall be placed on the ballot for the general election,
25 provided the initiative petition has been filed with the
26 Secretary of State no later than February 1 of the year the
27 general election is held. A petition shall be deemed to be
28 filed with the Secretary of State upon the date the secretary
29 determines that valid and verified the petition forms have has
30 been signed by the constitutionally required number and
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CS for SB 900 First Engrossed
1 distribution of electors under this code, subject to the right
2 of revocation established in this section.
3 (3) Each signature shall be dated by the elector when
4 made and shall be valid for a period of 4 years following such
5 date, provided all other requirements of law are met. The
6 sponsor shall submit signed and dated forms to the appropriate
7 supervisor of elections for verification as to the number of
8 registered electors whose valid signatures appear thereon. The
9 supervisor shall promptly verify the signatures upon payment
10 of the fee required by s. 99.097. The supervisor shall verify
11 that the signature on a form is valid only if the date the
12 elector signed the form, as recorded by the elector, is no
13 more than 30 days before the date the form is received by the
14 supervisor of elections. The supervisor shall promptly record
15 each valid signature in the statewide voter registration
16 system, in the manner prescribed by the Secretary of State,
17 the date each form is received by the supervisor, and the date
18 the signature on the form is verified as valid. The supervisor
19 shall retain the signature forms for at least 1 year following
20 the election in which the issue appeared on the ballot or
21 until the Division of Elections notifies the supervisors of
22 elections that the committee which circulated the petition is
23 no longer seeking to obtain ballot position.
24 (6) An elector's signature on a petition form may be
25 revoked, within 120 days after the verification of the
26 petition form by the supervisor of elections, by submitting to
27 the appropriate supervisor of elections a signed
28 petition-revocation form adopted by rule for this purpose by
29 the division.
30 (b) The petition-revocation form and the manner in
31 which signatures are obtained, submitted, and verified shall
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CS for SB 900 First Engrossed
1 be subject to the same relevant requirements and timeframes as
2 the corresponding petition form and processes under this code
3 and shall be approved by the Secretary of State before any
4 signature on a petition-revocation form is obtained.
5 (c) Supervisors of elections shall provide
6 petition-revocation forms to the public at all main and branch
7 offices.
8 (d) The petition-revocation form shall be filed with
9 the supervisor of elections by February 1 preceding the next
10 general election or, if the initiative amendment is not
11 certified for ballot position in that election, by February 1
12 preceding the next successive general election. The supervisor
13 of elections shall promptly verify the signature on the
14 petition-revocation form and process such revocation upon
15 payment, in advance, of a fee of 10 cents or the actual cost
16 of verifying such signature, whichever is less. The supervisor
17 shall promptly record each valid and verified
18 petition-revocation form in the statewide voter registration
19 system in the manner prescribed by the Secretary of State.
20 (7)(6) The Department of State may adopt rules in
21 accordance with s. 120.54 to carry out the provisions of
22 subsections (1)-(6) (1)-(5).
23 Section 3. This act shall take effect August 1, 2007.
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