The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-09-26
Proposed Amendment TO State Con.
StitutiOn.
State Of Washington.

| Omce OF the secretary OF state.
To whom it may concern: In obediencs
to an act of the legislature, approved March
TO- 1911, entitled as follows: IAN Act to
| amend section of article II of the Con-
ing to legislative powers, providing for the
initiative and referendum, and striking Sec
ton 81 of said article II, relating to- the
time when laws take effect there is hereby
of the State of Washington the following
proposed amendment to the constitution Of
said state:
That at the general election to be held in
| this state on the Tuesday next succeeding
the first Monday in November, 1912, there
shall be submitted to the qualified electors
OF the state for adoption and approval
or rejection an amendment to article II
of the Constitution of the State of Wash
ington, relating to legislative powers, by
striking from article II ali of sections / and
81, and inserting in lieu thereof as section
L the following, so that the same shall read
| Article II, section 1. The legislative au-
thority of the State of Washington shall be
, vested in the legislature, consisting of .
senate and house of representatives, which
| shall be called the legislature of the State
of Washington, but the people reserve to
| themselves the power to propose bills, laws,
| and to enact or reject the same at the polls,
| independent of the legislature, and also re-
serve power, at their own option, to approve
| or reject at the polls any act item, section
or part of any bill, act or law passed by the
legislature.
| (a) Initiative: The first power reserved
| by the people is the initiative. Ten per
| centum, but in case more than fifty thou
| sand of the legal voters shall be required
| to propose any measure by such petition,
| and every such petition shall include the
| full text of the measure so proposed. Initia-
| tive petitions shall be filed with the Sec
| rotary of state not less than four months
| before the election at which they are to be
voted upon, not less than ten days before
| i
| filed at least four months before the election
| at which they are to be voted upon, he shall
submit the same to the vote of the people -
| the said election. If such petitions are fled
| not less than ten days before any regular
| session of the legislature, he shall transmit
| the same to the legislature as soon as it
| convenes and organizes. Such initiative
| measure shall take precedence over all other
| measures in the legislature except appropria.
| ton bills and shall be either enacted or re-
ected without change or amendment by the
| legislature before the end of such regular
session. Ii any such initiative measure shall
| be enacted by the legislature it shall be sub
| Ject to the referendum petition, or it may
! be enacted and referred by the legislature
to the people for APPROVAL or rejection at the
next regular election. II it is rejected or il
no action is taken upon it by the legislature
| before the end of such regular session, the
secretary of state shall submit it to the pe0-
pie for approval rejection at the next en-.
suing regular general election. The legisla
ture NAV reject any measure SO proposed BY
| initiative petition and propose different one
dealing with the same subject, and in such
event both measures shall be submitted by
the secretary of state to the people for ap.
proval or rejection at the next ensuing regu.
lar general election. When conflicting meas
ures are submitted to the people the ballots
| shall be so printed that a voter can express
separately by making one cross (X) for each,
two preferences, first, as between either
| measure and neither, and secondly, as be-
tween one and the other. If the majority of
nfIrn fhn l. So,
both fail, but in that the votes ON the
second issue shall nevertheless be carefully
counted and made public. If majority
voting on the first issue is for either, then
votes on the second issue shall be law.
CD Referendum. The second power re.
served by the people is the referendum, and
1T may be ordered on any act, bill, law, or
except such laws as may be necessary for
! the immediate preservation of the public
| peace, health or safety, support of the state
government and its existing public institu.
lions, either by petition signed by the
quired percentage of the legal voters, or by
the legislature other bills are enacted. Six
per centum, but in no more than thirty
thousand, of the legal voters shall be re-
quired to sign and make valid referendum
petition.
(c) No act, law, or bill subject to refer
endum shall take effect until ninety days
after the adjournment of the session at which
is was enacted. No act, law, or bill sp.
proved by a majority of the electors voting
thereon shall be amended or repealed by the
legislature within period of two years fol-
lowing such enactment. But such enactment
may be amended or repealed at any general
regular or special election by direct vote OF
the people thereon.
(d) The filing of referendum petition
against one or more items, sections or parts
of any act, law or bill shall not delay the
remainder of the measure from becoming OPP
erative. Referendum petitions against meas,
ures passed by the legislature shall be filed
with the secretary OF state not later than
ninety days after the final adjournment of the
session of the legislature which passed the
measure on which the referendum is de-
manded. The veto power OF the governor
shall not extend to measures initiated by or
referred to the people. All elections on
measures referred to the people of the state
shall be had at the biennial regular elections
except when the legislature shall order
special election. Any measure initiated by
the people or referred to the people as herein
provided shall take effect and become the
law if it is approved by 9 majority OF the
cast upon such question or measure shall
equal one-third of the total vote cast at such
election and not otherwise. Sucn measure
shall be in operation on and after the tnir-
ieth day after the election at which it 10
approved The style of all bills proposed
by initiative petition shall be: BE It en-
acted by the people of the State of Wash.
lngton'' This section shall not be construed
to deprive any member of the legislature of
the right to introduce any measure the
whole number of electors who voted tor gov
ernor at the regular gubernatorial election
last preceding the filing of any petition for
the initiative or for the referendum shall be
the basis on which the number of legal voters
necessary to sign such petition shall be
counted All such petitions shall be filed
with the secretary of state, who shall be
guided by the general laws in submitting the
same to the people until additional legislation
shall especially provide therefor. This Sec
ton is self executing, but legislation may be
enacted especially to facilitate it's o"eration.
The legislature shall provide methods Of
publicity of all laws or parts of laws, and
amendments to the constitution referred to
the people with arguments for and against
the laws and amendments so referred, so that
each voter of the state shall receive the pub
location at least fifty days before the election
at which they are to be voted upon.
There shall be printed on all ballots pro.
yided for the said election, the words:
''For the proposed amendment of section
1 of article II of the constitution of the State
of Washington relating to legislative powers
and providing for the initiative and referen--
dunn
against the proposed amendment of sec
ton 1 of article II of the constitution of the
State of Washington, relating to legislative
powers, and providing for the initiative and
'sFor the proposed amendment of article
II of the constitution of the State of Wash.
iugton by striking section 81 therefrom,