H.B. 192
This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Wed, Mar 5, 2014 at 11:47 AM by bbryner. --> 1
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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill makes changes to an initiative petition signature sheet and a referendum
10 petition signature sheet.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This bill:
13 . adds a statement to a statewide or local initiative petition signature sheet stating that
14 a signer has read, understands, and agrees to the law proposed by the petition;
15 . adds a statement to a statewide or local referendum petition signature sheet stating
16 that a signer has read and understands the law the petition seeks to overturn; and
17 . makes technical corrections.
18 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
19 None
20 Other Special Clauses:
21 None
22 Utah Code Sections Affected:
23 AMENDS:
24 20A-7-203 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2013, Chapter 310
25 20A-7-303 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2007, Chapter 78
26 20A-7-503 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 72
27 20A-7-603 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 72
28
29 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
30 Section 1. Section 20A-7-203 is amended to read:
31 20A-7-203. Form of initiative petition and signature sheets.
32 (1) (a) Each proposed initiative petition shall be printed in substantially the following
33 form:
34 "INITIATIVE PETITION To the Honorable ____, Lieutenant Governor:
35 We, the undersigned citizens of Utah, respectfully demand that the following proposed
36 law be submitted to the legal voters/Legislature of Utah for their/its approval or rejection at the
37 regular general election/session to be held/ beginning on _________(month\day\year);
38 Each signer says:
39 I have personally signed this petition;
40 I am registered to vote in Utah or intend to become registered to vote in Utah before the
41 certification of the petition names by the county clerk; and
42 My residence and post office address are written correctly after my name.
43 NOTICE TO SIGNERS:
44 Public hearings to discuss this petition were held at: (list dates and locations of public
45 hearings.)"
46 (b) The sponsors of an initiative shall attach a copy of the proposed law to each
47 initiative petition.
48 (2) Each signature sheet shall:
49 (a) be printed on sheets of paper 8-1/2 inches long and 11 inches wide;
50 (b) be ruled with a horizontal line three-fourths inch from the top, with the space above
51 that line blank for the purpose of binding;
52 (c) contain the title of the initiative printed below the horizontal line;
53 (d) contain the initial fiscal impact estimate's summary statement issued by the
54 Governor's Office of Management and Budget according to Subsection 20A-7-202.5 (2)(b),
55 including any update according to Subsection 20A-7-204.1 (4), and the cost estimate for
56 printing and distributing information related to the initiative petition according to Subsection
57 20A-7-202.5 (3), printed or typed in not less than 12 point, bold type, at the top of each
58 signature sheet under the title of the initiative;
59 (e) contain the word "Warning" printed or typed at the top of each signature sheet
60 under the initial fiscal impact estimate's summary statement;
61 (f) contain, to the right of the word "Warning," the following statement printed or
62 typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
63 "It is a class A misdemeanor for anyone to sign any initiative petition with any other
64 name than his own, or knowingly to sign his name more than once for the same measure, or to
65 sign an initiative petition when he knows he is not a registered voter and knows that he does
66 not intend to become registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the
67 county clerk."; and
68 (g) be vertically divided into columns as follows:
69 (i) the first column shall appear at the extreme left of the sheet, be five-eighths inch
70 wide, be headed with "For Office Use Only," and be subdivided with a light vertical line down
71 the middle with the left subdivision entitled "Registered" and the right subdivision left untitled;
72 (ii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Registered Voter's Printed
73 Name (must be legible to be counted)";
74 (iii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Signature of Registered
75 Voter";
76 (iv) the next column shall be one inch wide, headed "Birth Date or Age (Optional)";
77 and
78 (v) the final column shall be 4-3/8 inches wide, headed "Street Address, City, Zip
79 Code"; [
80 (h) spanning the sheet horizontally beneath each row on which a registered voter may
81 submit the information described in Subsection (2)(g), contain the following statement printed
82 or typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
83 "By signing this petition, you are stating that you have read H. [
83a H.[
84 law proposed by this petition."; and
85 [
86 information is not required, but it may be used to verify your identity with voter registration
87 records. If you choose not to provide it, your signature may not be verified as a valid signature
88 if you change your address before petition signatures are verified or if the information you
89 provide does not match your voter registration records."
90 (3) The final page of each initiative packet shall contain the following printed or typed
91 statement:
92 "Verification
93 State of Utah, County of ____
94 I, _______________, of ____, hereby state that:
95 I am a resident of Utah and am at least 18 years old;
96 All the names that appear in this packet were signed by persons who professed to be the
97 persons whose names appear in it, and each of them signed his name on it in my presence;
98 I believe that each has printed and signed his name and written his post office address
99 and residence correctly, and that each signer is registered to vote in Utah or intends to become
100 registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the county clerk.
101 I have not paid or given anything of value to any person who signed this petition to
102 encourage that person to sign it.
103 ________________________________________________________________________
104 (Name) (Residence Address) (Date)"
105 (4) The forms prescribed in this section are not mandatory, and, if substantially
106 followed, the initiative petitions are sufficient, notwithstanding clerical and merely technical
107 errors.
108 Section 2. Section 20A-7-303 is amended to read:
109 20A-7-303. Form of referendum petition and signature sheets.
110 (1) (a) Each proposed referendum petition shall be printed in substantially the
111 following form:
112 "REFERENDUM PETITION To the Honorable ____, Lieutenant Governor:
113 We, the undersigned citizens of Utah, respectfully order that Senate (or House) Bill No.
114 ____, entitled (title of act, and, if the petition is against less than the whole act, set forth here
115 the part or parts on which the referendum is sought), passed by the ____ Session of the
116 Legislature of the state of Utah, be referred to the people of Utah for their approval or rejection
117 at a regular general election or a statewide special election;
118 Each signer says:
119 I have personally signed this petition;
120 I am registered to vote in Utah or intend to become registered to vote in Utah before the
121 certification of the petition names by the county clerk; and
122 My residence and post office address are written correctly after my name."
123 (b) The sponsors of a referendum shall attach a copy of the law that is the subject of the
124 referendum to each referendum petition.
125 (2) Each signature sheet shall:
126 (a) be printed on sheets of paper 8-1/2 inches long and 11 inches wide;
127 (b) be ruled with a horizontal line [
128 above that line blank for the purpose of binding;
129 (c) contain the title of the referendum printed below the horizontal line;
130 (d) contain the word "Warning" printed or typed at the top of each signature sheet
131 under the title of the referendum;
132 (e) contain, to the right of the word "Warning," the following statement printed or
133 typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
134 "It is a class A misdemeanor for anyone to sign any referendum petition with any other
135 name than his own, or knowingly to sign his name more than once for the same measure, or to
136 sign a referendum petition when he knows he is not a registered voter and knows that he does
137 not intend to become registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the
138 county clerk.";
139 (f) contain horizontally ruled lines, [
140 statement required by this section; and
141 (g) be vertically divided into columns as follows:
142 (i) the first column shall appear at the extreme left of the sheet, be [
143 inch wide, be headed with "For Office Use Only," and be subdivided with a light vertical line
144 down the middle;
145 (ii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Registered Voter's Printed
146 Name (must be legible to be counted)";
147 (iii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Signature of Registered
148 Voter";
149 (iv) the next column shall be one inch wide, headed "Birth Date or Age (Optional)";
150 and
151 (v) the final column shall be 4-3/8 inches wide, headed "Street Address, City, Zip
152 Code"; [
153 (h) spanning the sheet horizontally beneath each row on which a registered voter may
154 submit the information described in Subsection (2)(g), contain the following statement printed
155 or typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
156 "By signing this petition, you are stating that you have read and understand the law this
157 petition seeks to overturn."; and
158 [
159 information is not required, but it may be used to verify your identity with voter registration
160 records. If you choose not to provide it, your signature may not be verified as a valid signature
161 if you change your address before petition signatures are verified or if the information you
162 provide does not match your voter registration records."
163 (3) The final page of each referendum packet shall contain the following printed or
164 typed statement:
165 "Verification
166 State of Utah, County of ____
167 I, _______________, of ____, hereby state that:
168 I am a Utah resident and am at least 18 years old;
169 All the names that appear in this packet were signed by persons who professed to be the
170 persons whose names appear in it, and each of them signed his name on it in my presence;
171 I believe that each has printed and signed his name and written his post office address
172 and residence correctly, and that each signer is registered to vote in Utah or intends to become
173 registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the county clerk.
174 ________________________________________________________________________
175 (Name) (Residence Address) (Date)"
176 (4) The forms prescribed in this section are not mandatory, and, if substantially
177 followed, the referendum petitions are sufficient, notwithstanding clerical and merely technical
178 errors.
179 Section 3. Section 20A-7-503 is amended to read:
180 20A-7-503. Form of initiative petitions and signature sheets.
181 (1) (a) Each proposed initiative petition shall be printed in substantially the following
182 form:
183 "INITIATIVE PETITION To the Honorable ____, County Clerk/City Recorder/Town
184 Clerk:
185 We, the undersigned citizens of Utah, respectfully demand that the following proposed
186 law be submitted to: the legislative body for its approval or rejection at its next meeting; and
187 the legal voters of the county/city/town, if the legislative body rejects the proposed law or takes
188 no action on it.
189 Each signer says:
190 I have personally signed this petition;
191 I am registered to vote in Utah or intend to become registered to vote in Utah before the
192 certification of the petition names by the county clerk; and
193 My residence and post office address are written correctly after my name."
194 (b) The sponsors of an initiative shall attach a copy of the proposed law to each
195 initiative petition.
196 (2) Each signature sheet shall:
197 (a) be printed on sheets of paper 8-1/2 inches long and 11 inches wide;
198 (b) be ruled with a horizontal line [
199 above that line blank for the purpose of binding;
200 (c) contain the title of the initiative printed below the horizontal line;
201 (d) contain the initial fiscal impact estimate's summary statement issued by the budget
202 officer according to Subsection 20A-7-502.5 (2)(b) and the cost estimate for printing and
203 distributing information related to the initiative petition according to Subsection
204 20A-7-502.5 (3) printed or typed in not less than 12-point, bold type, at the top of each
205 signature sheet under the title of the initiative;
206 (e) contain the word "Warning" printed or typed at the top of each signature sheet
207 under the initial fiscal impact estimate's summary statement;
208 (f) contain, to the right of the word "Warning," the following statement printed or
209 typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
210 "It is a class A misdemeanor for anyone to sign any initiative petition with any other
211 name than his own, or knowingly to sign his name more than once for the same measure, or to
212 sign an initiative petition when he knows he is not a registered voter and knows that he does
213 not intend to become registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the
214 county clerk.";
215 (g) contain horizontally ruled lines[
216 statement required by this section;
217 (h) be vertically divided into columns as follows:
218 (i) the first column shall appear at the extreme left of the sheet, be [
219 inch wide, be headed with "For Office Use Only", and be subdivided with a light vertical line
220 down the middle with the left subdivision entitled "Registered" and the right subdivision left
221 untitled;
222 (ii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Registered Voter's Printed
223 Name (must be legible to be counted)";
224 (iii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Signature of Registered
225 Voter";
226 (iv) the next column shall be one inch wide, headed "Birth Date or Age (Optional)";
227 and
228 (v) the final column shall be 4-3/8 inches wide, headed "Street Address, City, Zip
229 Code"; [
230 (i) spanning the sheet horizontally beneath each row on which a registered voter may
231 submit the information described in Subsection (2)(h), contain the following statement printed
232 or typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
233 "By signing this petition, you are stating that you have read H. [
233a H.[
234 law proposed by this petition."; and
235 [
236 information is not required, but it may be used to verify your identity with voter registration
237 records. If you choose not to provide it, your signature may not be verified as a valid signature
238 if you change your address before petition signatures are verified or if the information you
239 provide does not match your voter registration records."[
240 [
241 printed or typed [
242 "Verification
243 State of Utah, County of ____
244 I, _______________, of ____, hereby state that:
245 I am a resident of Utah and am at least 18 years old;
246 All the names that appear in this initiative packet were signed by persons who professed
247 to be the persons whose names appear in it, and each of them signed his name on it in my
248 presence;
249 I believe that each has printed and signed his name and written his post office address
250 and residence correctly, and that each signer is registered to vote in Utah or intends to become
251 registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the county clerk.
252 _____________________________"
253 [
254 followed, the initiative petitions are sufficient, notwithstanding clerical and merely technical
255 errors.
256 Section 4. Section 20A-7-603 is amended to read:
257 20A-7-603. Form of referendum petition and signature sheets.
258 (1) (a) Each proposed referendum petition shall be printed in substantially the
259 following form:
260 "REFERENDUM PETITION To the Honorable ____, County Clerk/City
261 Recorder/Town Clerk:
262 We, the undersigned citizens of Utah, respectfully order that Ordinance No. ____,
263 entitled (title of ordinance, and, if the petition is against less than the whole ordinance, set forth
264 here the part or parts on which the referendum is sought), passed by the ____ be referred to the
265 voters for their approval or rejection at the regular/municipal general election to be held on
266 __________(month\day\year);
267 Each signer says:
268 I have personally signed this petition;
269 I am registered to vote in Utah or intend to become registered to vote in Utah before the
270 certification of the petition names by the county clerk; and
271 My residence and post office address are written correctly after my name."
272 (b) The sponsors of a referendum shall attach a copy of the law that is the subject of the
273 referendum to each referendum petition.
274 (2) Each signature sheet shall:
275 (a) be printed on sheets of paper 8-1/2 inches long and 11 inches wide;
276 (b) be ruled with a horizontal line [
277 above that line blank for the purpose of binding;
278 (c) contain the title of the referendum printed below the horizontal line;
279 (d) contain the word "Warning" printed or typed at the top of each signature sheet
280 under the title of the referendum;
281 (e) contain, to the right of the word "Warning," the following statement printed or
282 typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
283 "It is a class A misdemeanor for anyone to sign any referendum petition with any other
284 name than his own, or knowingly to sign his name more than once for the same measure, or to
285 sign a referendum petition when he knows he is not a registered voter and knows that he does
286 not intend to become registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the
287 county clerk.";
288 (f) contain horizontally ruled lines[
289 statement required by this section;
290 (g) be vertically divided into columns as follows:
291 (i) the first column shall appear at the extreme left of the sheet, be [
292 inch wide, be headed with "For Office Use Only," and be subdivided with a light vertical line
293 down the middle;
294 (ii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Registered Voter's Printed
295 Name (must be legible to be counted)";
296 (iii) the next column shall be 2-1/2 inches wide, headed "Signature of Registered
297 Voter";
298 (iv) the next column shall be one inch wide, headed "Birth Date or Age (Optional)";
299 and
300 (v) the final column shall be 4-3/8 inches wide, headed "Street Address, City, Zip
301 Code"; [
302 (h) spanning the sheet horizontally beneath each row on which a registered voter may
303 submit the information described in Subsection (2)(g), contain the following statement printed
304 or typed in not less than eight-point, single-leaded type:
305 "By signing this petition, you are stating that you have read and understand the law this
306 petition seeks to overturn."; and
307 [
308 information is not required, but it may be used to verify your identity with voter registration
309 records. If you choose not to provide it, your signature may not be verified as a valid signature
310 if you change your address before petition signatures are verified or if the information you
311 provide does not match your voter registration records."[
312 [
313 [
314 "Verification
315 State of Utah, County of ____
316 I, _______________, of ____, hereby state that:
317 I am a resident of Utah and am at least 18 years old;
318 All the names that appear in this referendum packet were signed by persons who
319 professed to be the persons whose names appear in it, and each of them signed his name on it
320 in my presence;
321 I believe that each has printed and signed his name and written his post office address
322 and residence correctly, and that each signer is registered to vote in Utah or intends to become
323 registered to vote before the certification of the petition names by the county clerk.
324 _____________________________"
325 [
326 followed, the referendum petitions are sufficient, notwithstanding clerical and merely technical
327 errors.
Legislative Review Note
as of 2-20-14 2:32 PM