Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-03-09
REFERENDUM
FULL TEXT OF THE uELAND
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM 8
BILL AS PASSED BOTH
HOUSES

Probably no bill has passed this
legislative session which will excite
more general interest among the peo-
pie than Mr.. Ueland's constitutional
amendment for initiative and refer.
endum. Around this bill swirled the
maelstrom of battle between the pro-
hibitionists and the resubmissionists
and in both houses the parts Of the bill
relating to constitutional questions
were swept away, replaced, again
swept away and again replaced and
the bill finally passed as introduced.
"A careful reading of the bill will prove
interesting. It follows:
Concurrent Resolution
For an amendment to the Constitution
providing for the Referendum and
Initiative.
Be it resolved by the House of Repre-
sentatives, the Senate Concurring:
That the following amendment to
the constitution providing for the In
itiative and Referendum shall be re-
ferred to the next legislative assem-
bly,, and with the approval of said leg
islative assembly be sumbitted to the
qualified electors for adoption or re
lection.
Section Is or Article II. of the Con-
stitution Of the state Of North Dakota
shall be and hereby is amended to-
read as follows:
Section 25 The legislative authority
of the state Of North Dakota shall be
vested in legislative assembly con
sisting of a senate and house Of repre-
sentatiyes. but the people reserve to
themselves power to propose laws and
amendments to the constitution, and
to enact or reject the same at the polls
Independent of the legislative assem-
bly,, and also reserve power, at their
own option, to approve or reject at the
polls, any act, item section or part Of
any act or measure passed by the
legislative assembly. The first power
reserved by the people is the initiative
and not more than eight per cent OF
the legal voters shall be required to
propose any measure by initiative pc
tition, and every such petition shall in
clude the full text of the measure so
proposed, but the same constitutional
amendment shall not be proposed Of
tener than once in ten years. Initia-
tive petitions shall be filed with the
SECRETARY of state not less than thirty
days before any regular session of the
legislative assembly; he shall trans
init the same to the legislative assem-
bly, as soon ais it conyenes. Such in
itiative measure shall take precedence
over all measures in the legislative as
sembly except appropriation bills, and
shall be either enacted or rejected
without change or amendment by the
legislative assembly within forty days.
If any such initiative measure shall be
enacted by the legislative assembly it
shall be subject to referendum petition
or it may be referred by the 1egisla-
tive assembly to the people for approx
al or rejection, If it is rejected or no
action is taken upon it by the legisla-
tive assembly within said forty days,
the secretary of state shall submit it
to the people for approval or rejection
\ at the next ensuing regular general
election The legislative assembly
may reject any measure SO proposed
by initiative petition and propose a
different one to accomplish the same
purpose, and in any such event both
measures shall be submitted by the
secretary Of state ito the people for ap-
4 prevail or rejection at the next ensuing
regular election. If conflicting meas
ures submitted to the people at the
next ensuing election shall be ap-
: phoVed by a majority Of the votes sew
orally cast for and against the same,
the one receiving the highest number
Of Affirmative votes shall thereby be
come valid and the other shall thereby
be rejected. 5
The second power is the referen.
dunn, and it may be ordered Except as
to laws necessary for the immediate
4 preservation Of the public peace
health or safety, as to any measure OF
any parts, items or sections Of any
n measure passed by the legislative as
sembly either by a petition signed by
\ five per cent Of the legal voters, OF
BY the legislative assembly if a ma
iority Of the members elect vote there
Z for. When it is necessary for the i'm
mediate preservation of the public
peace, health or safety that a law shall
become effective without delay, sucI
necessity and the facts creating th,
same shall be stated in one section d
the bill, and # upon aye and no vot,
in each house two-thirds of all th,
members elected to each house shall