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     

INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM PETITION AMENDMENTS

             2     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Jon E. Stanard

             5     
Senate Sponsor: Margaret Dayton

             6     
             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"; [and]
             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. [ , ] and .H understand
             83a      H.[ , and support ] .H the
             84      law proposed by this petition."; and
             85          [(vi)] (i) at the bottom of the sheet, contain the following statement: "Birth date or age
             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 [3/4] three-fourths inch from the top, with the space
             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, [3/8] three-eighths inch apart under the "Warning"
             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 [5/8] five-eighths
             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"; [and]
             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          [(vi)] (i) at the bottom of the sheet, contain the following statement: "Birth date or age
             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 [3/4] three-fourths inch from the top, with the space
             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[, 3/8] three-eighths inch apart under the "Warning"
             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 [5/8] five-eighths
             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"; [and]
             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. [ , ] and .H understand
             233a      H.[ , and support ] .H the
             234      law proposed by this petition."; and
             235          [(vi)] (j) at the bottom of the sheet, contain the following statement: "Birth date or age
             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."[; and]
             240          [(i)] (3) The final page of each initiative packet shall contain the following [statement,]
             241      printed or typed [upon the last page of each initiative packet] statement:
             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          [(3)] (4) The forms prescribed in this section are not mandatory, and, if substantially
             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 [3/4] three-fourths inch from the top, with the space
             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[, 3/8] three-eighths inch apart under the "Warning"
             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 [5/8] five-eighths
             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"; [and]
             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          [(vi)] (i) at the bottom of the sheet, contain the following statement: "Birth date or age
             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."[; and]
             312          [(h)] (3) The final page of each referendum packet shall contain the following
             313      [statement,] printed or typed [upon the last page of the referendum packet] statement:
             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          [(3)] (4) The forms prescribed in this section are not mandatory, and, if substantially
             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


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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