I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2760
To provide that the voters of the United States be given the right, through
advisory voter initiative, to propose the enactment and repeal of Federal
laws in a national election.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 2001
Mr. HOEKSTRA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on
Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
A BILL
To provide that the voters of the United States be given
the right, through advisory voter initiative, to propose
the enactment and repeal of Federal laws in a national
election.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Advisory
Voter Initiative Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE.
The people shall have the right—
(1) to propose any law which the Congress has
authority to pass; and
(2) to propose the repeal of any provision of law
passed by the Congress which has become law.
SEC. 3. PETITION PROCEDURE.
A petition proposing the enactment of a law, or the
repeal of a provision of law, shall be submitted to an offi-
cer of the United States whom the Congress shall des-
ignate by law. Each petition shall contain the text of the
proposed law, or, in the case of a repeal, the text of the
provision of law proposed to be repealed. Each petition
shall be signed by at least 3 percent of the whole number
of people, in each of at least 10 States, who voted in the
last presidential election before the date on which the peti-
tion is submitted. The total number of signatures on such
petition shall be at least 3 percent of the whole number
of people, from all of the several States, who voted in that
election. All signatures shall be collected during the 18-
month period ending on the date on which the petition
is submitted.
SEC. 4. BALLOT PROCEDURE.
Not later than 90 days after a petition is submitted
under section 3, the officer to whom the petition is sub-
mitted shall determine the validity of the signatures on
the petition. If the petition contains the required number
of valid signatures, the officer shall certify the petition and
shall direct the chief executive officer of each State to
place a copy of the proposed law, or provision of law pro-
posed to be repealed on the ballot in the first House of
Representatives election (other than an election to fill a
vacancy) which is held at least 120 days after such certifi-
cation. The Congress shall by law—
(1) establish procedures for the preparation and
submission of petitions and for the validation of pe-
tition signatures; and
(2) prescribe the manner in which the results of
the voting conducted under this Act shall be
ascertained and declared.
SEC. 5. REIMBURSEMENT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—A State shall be reimbursed at the
rate of 4 cents per voter for not less than one and not
more than 3 proposed laws or repeals for each general
election ballot. All such reimbursements shall be made
from the franking accounts of the Congress, with equal
amounts from the franking accounts of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate in proportion to population.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Sec-
retary of the Senate shall be responsible for ensuring the
proper application for, and payment of, reimbursements
under this section.