UPDATE: Senator Corey Brown wants to destroy the initiative process in SD

l3wis

9 years ago

Contact this guy and let him know where to stick his bill.

UPDATE:

SB 166 will go to Senate State Affairs (date not set yet)

The committee is listed here:

http://legis.sd.gov/Legislative_Session/Committees/CommitteeMembers.aspx?Committee=269&Session=2015

Clicking on any name on that list will get you to contact info.

You can read the bill here:

http://legis.sd.gov/Legislative_Session/Bills/Bill.aspx?File=SB166P.htm&Session=2015&Bill=166

Sen Brown is contesting the argument refers to Section III, article 1 of the state constitution, first paragraph. It sets a maximum, but not a minimum, for the number of signatures that the state may require. SD’s practice has been to require 5% of the number of voters in the last election for governor, not 5% of all the registered voters whether they voted or not.

I have a feeling Corey was put up to this by the ALEC branch of the SD Republican party who is constantly losing at the ballot box when in comes to initiatives. They are PO’d about the minimum wage increase, and the potential of a PayDay lender interest cap.

Because initiatives and referenda tend to go badly for his party, RepublicanÂ Senator Brown wants to repeal SDCL 2-1-5 and replace the signature count not on the number of people who actually voted in the lastÂ gubernatorial election but on the number whoÂ could have voted. Assuming he means registered voters on November 3, 2014, that’s 521,041. SB 166Â would thusÂ nearly double the number of signatures neededÂ to get measures on the ballot, to 26,053.

And because he knows folks are alreadyÂ planning initiatives that he doesn’t like, Senator Brown includes an emergency clause in SB 166 to make sureÂ no one could file an initiative before July 1 under the current, less onerous signature requirement.

South Dakotans, Senator Brown does not trust you. He wants to take away yourÂ constitutionally guaranteed power to makeÂ your own laws.Â Don’t let him do that. Write or call Senator Brown and ask him how Senate Bill 166 serves theÂ public interest.