The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-02-07
INITIATIVE AND
 REFERENDUM BILL

Proposing an amendment to article
 third. Section of the constitution.
 Resolved by The House of Represen- tatives-That Article Three, Section One of the Constitution shall be amended as follows, to wit: After the words Section 1. The leg islative power of this state shall be vested in two distinct houses Cor branches; the one to be styled the
 Senate, the other the House of Repre- sentatives, and both together the Gen era1 Assembly. The following. to wit: '"The style of all laws shall be. Be it
 enacted by the people of the State of Connecticut But the people reserve to themselves the power to propose
 laws and amendments to the constitu-
 tion and to enact or reject the same at the polls, independent of the Gen. eral Assembly, and also reserve pow CT at their own option to approve or reject at, the polls any act of the Gen
 era1 Assembly. The first power re-
 served by the people is the initiative, 1 and not more, than eight per cent 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 meanure SO pro- posed. Initiative petitions shall be filed with the secretary of state not less than four months before the cleo | tion at which they are to be voted
 upon.
 The second power is the referendum, and 1t may be ordered (except as to laws necessary for the immediate pres ervation of the public peace, health or safeEy) eithe1>Sby petition signed by
 fveSp per cent. of the legal voters, or by the General Assembly as other bills are enacted.
 Referendum petitions shall be filed with the secretary of state not more than ninety days after the final ad- | oE rNf al Assembly which passed the bill on
 which the referendum is demanded. The veto power of the governor shall not extend, to measures referred to the people. All elections on n1asures referred to the people of the state
 shall be held at the biennial regular general elections, except when the
 General Assembly shall order special ! election. Any measure referred to l the people shall take effect and be-
 come a law when it is approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon and not otherwise. This section snAI not
 be construed to. deprive ~~r member of fhe General Assembly of the right
 to introduce any measure. The
 whole number of votes cast for gov l ernor at the last erection preceding | the filing of any petition for the ini-
 tiative or for the referendum shall be | the basis on which the number of legal voters necessary to sign such pe- tition shall be counted.
 1 Petitions and orders for the fnitia- tive and for the referendum shall be filed with the secretary of state, and in submitting the same to the people he and all other officers shall be guld- eG by the general laws and the act
 submitting this amendment until leg islation shall be specially provided therefor.
 The 6ollovving bills were also intro Iduced by Repressntatave Wilson: | A bill aboiishing the cri1ninal com mon pleas court for FIairheld county.
 A bill requiring public utilities conn missiong to approve bond issues of pub lie service corporations and their stock issues before any may be sold. i IA bill providing that the people of | Connecticut may vote upon questions 1 of public policy, to inform and guide the General Assembly as to their views.
 A bill requiring reports of amount Of insurance, an1punt of premiums paid and amount Of fire losses paid in any year in any city in Connecticut.
 4 A bill conferrdng upon invalid Span xsh American War veterans and their wives and children the same benefits that are given to invalid veterans of the Civil War and their wives and children with respect to certain mat ters. 1 A resolution authorizing the insur- \ ance committee to investigate fire in \ surance rates.