The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-10-31
Proposed Amendment TO State Con.
stitutiOn.
State of Washington,

to act of the legislature, approved March
10, 1911, entitled as follows: can Act to
stitution of the State of Washington, relat.
| ing t. 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
published for the consideration of the voters
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 all of sections / and
81, and inserting in lieu thereof as section
l the following, so that the same shall read
as follows
Article II, section /. 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.
(al Initiative The first power reserved
| by the people is the initiative. Ten per-
| centum, but in no 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. Inita
| 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 or not less than ten days before
any regular session Of the legislature. II
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 at
the said election. If such petitions are filed
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 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. If any such initiative measure shall
be enacted by the legislature it shall be sub.
!ect 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. If it is rejected or if
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 peo-
PIE dor approval or rejection at the next en-
SUING regular general election. The legisla.
| ture may reject any measure SO proposed by
initiative petition and propose a different ons
dealing with the same subject and in such
| the secretary of state to the people for an
prevail 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 voter can express
separately by making one cross (X) for each,
two preferences, first, as between either
measure and neither, and secondly, a. be-
| tween one and the other If the majority Of
| those voting on the first issue 10 for neither.
both fail, but in that case 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
the measure receiving majority of the
votes on the second issue shall be law.
(D) Referendum. The second power re.
served by the people is the referendum and
II may be ordered on any act, bill, law, or
any part thereof passed by the legislature,
except sucn 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 re.
CURED percentage of the legal voters, or by
the legislature as other bills are enacted Six
per centum, but in no case more than thirty
thousand of the legal voters shall be re-
CURED to sign and make valid referendum
petition.
II (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 ap.
proved by 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 repealed at any general
regular 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 op-
erative. Referendum petitions against meas
lres passed by the legislature shall be filed
with the secretary of state not later than
linety days after the final adjournment of the
| of legislature DAaG9d
measure which the referendum is de-
handed. The veto power of the governor
shall not extend to measures initiated by or
referred to the people. All elections
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 3 majority OF the
votes cast thereon; Provided, That the vote
cast upon such question or measure shall
equal one-third of the total vote cast at such
election and not otherwise. Such measure
shall be in operation on and after the thir-
lieth day after the election at which it is
approved The style of all bills proposed
by initiative petition shall be: BE it en-
acted by the people of the State Of Wash.
ngton.'' 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 for gov
ernor at the regular gubernatorial election
last preceding Lue VI any PcLttOA Aux
| 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 referred 50 that
each voter of the state shall receive the pub
| LEGATION at least fifty days before the election
at which they are to be voted upon.
| There shall be printed all ballots pre-
| vided for the said election, the words:
''For the proposed amendment of section
| l 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
referendum"
For the proposed amendment of article
II of the constitution of the State of Wash
ington, by striking section 81 therefrom.