SB 67 in Committee Today: Resist Effort to Make Constitutional Amendment Petitions 88% Harder

Don’t let the excitement over the Senate’s second swing at repealing IM 22 distract you from morning committee action! This morning at 10 a.m., Senate State Affairs takes another shot at people power with Senate Bill 67.

SB 67 changes the initiative process to require petitioners to gather nearly 25,000 more signatures—88% more than the current requirement—to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. SB 67 also contains an unconstitutional emergency clause: enacting this signature hike immediately does not satisfy any urgent funding need for the support of state government; it only serves as a way for the Legislature to stifle our ability to suspend and refer this bad change and raise the bar right now for any citizens who try to circulate an amendment petition this spring.

Only the voters can approve changes to the state constitution. Republican legislators are thus trying to cut off efforts that supporters of IM 22 may make to amend the constitution to address concerns raised in the IM 22 lawsuit.

Senate State Affairs passed HB 1069, the IM22 repeal, on a 7–2 vote last Wednesday, with only Democrats Billie Sutton and Troy Heinert standing for the voters. Expect a similar outcome today… but don’t let grim expectations stop you from making your voice heard! Get those last-minute messages in to the committee, and let them know our constitution already has enough checks and balances—most importantly, the vote of the people—to protect its integrity.