The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1908-09-24
Proposed Amendment.

Section Is of article 2 Of the con-
%stitution of the state of North Dakota
shall be and hereby is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. Is. The legislative authority
Of the state of North Dakota shall be
vested in a legislative assembly con
sisting of a senate and house of rep
resentatives, 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
assembly, and also reserve power, at
their own option, to approve or reject
at the polls any act, item, section or
part of any act OF 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 petition, and
every such petition shall include the
full text of the measure so proposed,
but the same constitutional amend
ment shall not be proposed oftener
than once in ten years. Initiative
petitions shall be filed with the sec
rotary of state not less than thirty
days before any regular session of the
legislative assembly. He shall trans
nit the same to the legislative as
sembly as soon as it convenes. Such
initiative measures shall take preced-
ence over all other measures in the
legislative assembly except a%ppropr1a-
ton bills, and shall be either enacted
or rejected without change or amend
ment by the legislative assembly with
in forty days. If any such initiative
measure shall be enacted by the legis-
lative assembly it shall be subject to
referendum petition or it may be re-
ferred by the legislative assembly to
the people for approval or rejection.
II it is rejected or no action is taken
upon it by the legislative 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
to the people for approval or rejection
at the next ensuing regular election.
II conflicting measures submitted to
the people at the next ensuing cleo
ton shall be approved by a majority
of the votes severally cast for and
against the same, the one receiving
the highest number of affirmative
votes shall thereby become valid and
the other shall thereby be rejected.
The second power is the referen-
dunn, and it may be ordered Except
as to laws necessary for the immed-
late preservation Of the public peace,
health or safety as to any measure
or any parts, items or sections of
any measure passed by the legislative
assembly, either by a petition signed
by five per cent of the legal voters or
by the legislative assembly if a major
ity Of the members-elect vote therefor.
When it is necessary for the immedi-
ate preservation Of the public peace,
health or safety that a law shall be-
come effective without delay, such
necessity and the facts creating the
same shall be stated in one section of
the bill, and If upon any aye and nay
vote In each house tWo-thirds of all
the members elected to each house
shall vote on a separate roll call in
favor of the said law going into in
slant operation for the immediate
preservation Of the public peace,
health or safety, such law shall be.
come operative upon approval by the
governor.
The filing of referendum petition
against n Or more items, sections
or parts of an act shall not delay the
remainder of that act from becom-
ing operative. Referendum petitions
against measures passed by the legis.
lative assembly shall be filed with
the secretary of state not more than
ninety days after the final adjourn.
ment Of the session Of the legislative
assembly which passed the measure
on which the referendum is demanded.
The veto power Of the governor shall
not extend to measures referred to
the people. All elections on measures
referred to the people of the state
shall be had at biennial regular gen.
oral elections, except as provision
may be made by law for a special