Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-10-15
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO
THE STATE CONSTITUTION.
chap. % IS. b. No. 5-Bcsscssem 1911
Session Laws.
Chap. 101 Is. b. No. 32-Ovcrsom 1913
Session Laws.

session LAWS.
PROVIDING FOR THE INITIATIVE
AND REFERENDUM AS TO
LEGISLATION
Constitution to provide for the enact
mcnt or repeal of laws or parts OF
laws by the people by means OF n
vote taken Mt the polls, thus rcseTv-
ing to the people II part OF the power
now granted exclusively to the lcSis-
lnture, to enact or reject laws.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION for an
amendment to the Constitution provid-
ing for the initiative and referendum.
Be it Resolved by the Senate of the State
OF North Dakota. the House of Repre-
ScntativeS concurring:
That the following amendment TO the
constitution of the state of North Dakota,
adopted by the Twelfth legislative AS,
sembly of the state of North Dakota ana
by it referred to the Thirteenth LeSiSla-
tive Assembly of said state for approval
or rejection, is hereby agreed to and such
amendment shall he submitted to the quail
Tied electors of the state at the next gen
ernl election for approval or rejection IN
accordance with the provisions OF section
2O2 of the constitution of the state of
North Dakota.
AMENDMENT.1 Section % of article
. of the constitution of the state Of North
Dakota is hereby amended to read as fol-
lows:
Section 20. me legislative hutnorlt! OF
the state Of North Dakota shall be vested
In a legislative assembly consisting OF a
senate and house of representatives. but
the people reserve to themselves power to
propose laws and to enact or reject the
same at the polls. independent Of the leg
i%slativc 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 or measure passed by the
legislative assembly; The first power re
served by the people is the initiative, or
the power to propose measures for en-
actmcnt into laws. and at least ten per
| cent of the legal voters to be secured in
q majority of the counties of this state
shall be required to propose any measure
by initiative petition. and every such pc
tition shall include the full text of the
measure SO proposed. Initiative petitions
shall be filed with the secretary of state
not less than thirty days before any regu-
shall! transmit the same to the legislative
assembly as soon as it convencS. Such
initiative measure shall take precedence
over all other measures in the legislative
shall be either enacted or rejected with
out change or amendment by the lcgisla-
tive assembly within forty days. If any
such initiative measure shall be enacted
by the Legislative assembly 1T shall be
subject to referendum petition. or 1t may
be referred by the legislative assembly to
the people for approval or rejection. If
it is rejected or no action is taken upon
1t 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 assem-
bly, may reject any measure so proposed
by initiative petition and propose a diff
fercnt one TO accomplish the same pur-
pose. and in any such event both meas
ures shall be submitted by the secretary
of state to the people for approval or re-
lection at the next ensuing regular cleo
ton. If conflicting measures submitted
| tD ,bn ynnrln rt tho npyt nnSninp n1nr-
tion shall be approved by a majority of
the votes S~rvrrally east for and against
the same. the one receiving the highest
number of affirmative votes shall thereby
become valid, and the other shall there
by be rejected. The second power is the
referendum, or the power to order any act.
item. or part of any. act to be referred to
the people for their approval or reicc-
ton at the polls. and it may be ordered
Except as to laws necessary for tn" i'm
mediate preservation Of the public peace.
any parts. items or sections of any meas
urrs passed by the legislative asscmbl
either by Il petition signed by ten per
cent of tn" legal voters of the state from
a majority of the counties. or by the leg
~iSlntiyc assembly. if Il majority of the
members elect vote therefor. When it is
necessary for the Immediate preservation
of the public peace. health or safety that
a law shall become effective without de-
lay. such necessity and the facts creating
the same shall be stated in on" section
of the bill. and If upon aye and no vote
IN each house two-thirdS of all the mem
hcrS elected to each house shall vote on a
separate roll call in favor of the said law
goil" into instant operation for the I'M
mediate preservation of the public peace.
health or safety. such law shall become
operative upon approval by the governor.
The filing of y referendum petition
against one or more items. sections OF
parts of an act shall not delay the re
mninder of that act from becoming .op,
%era1ive. Referendum petitions against
measures passed by the legislative Assem-,
bly, shall be filed with the secretary OF
state not more than ninety days after the
final adjournment of the session of the
legislative assembly which passed the
measure on which the referendum is dc
mnndel. The veto power of the governor
shall not extend to measures referred tc
the people. All elections on measures
referred to the people of the. state sinai
be had at biennial regular elections. OK
cept as provision may be made by law fol
n special election OR elections. Any meas
ure referred to the people shall take eff
feet when it is approved by, Il majorit!
wise. and shall b" in force from the date
of the official declaration of the vote.
The c%nac1ing clause of all the initia
tive bills shall be, "Be it enacted by tn
This section shall not be construed tt
deprive any member of the legislative as
sembly of the right to introduce any meas
ure. The whole number of votes cast fo'
secretary of state ut the regular election
last preceding the filing of any petition
for the initiative or for the referendum
shall be the basis on which the humble
of legal voters necessary to sign such pc
titiOn shall be counted.
Petitions and orders for the initiatlv.
and for the referendum shall be filed will
the secretary of state, and in submittin!
the same to the people he and all other of
icers shall be guided by the general law
and the act submitting this amendmen
unit! legislation shall be specially pro
vided therefor.
This amendment shall be self executing
but legislation may be enacted to faci1
! tate its operation.