HB-5650, As Passed Senate, March 23, 2006

HOUSE BILL No. 5650

(As amended March 7, 2006)

(As amended, March 23, 2006)

February 8, 2006, Introduced by Rep. Ward and referred to the Committee on House Oversight, Elections, and Ethics.

     A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

"Michigan election law,"

by amending section 477 (MCL 168.477), as amended by 1999 PA 219.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

     Sec. 477. (1) The  board of state canvassers [<<state director

of elections >>] shall make an official

declaration of the sufficiency

or insufficiency of a petition under this chapter at least 2 months

before the election at which the proposal is to be submitted. The

[<<state director of elections >>] shall declare the

petition sufficient

unless [<<he or she>>] determines that the petition is not in

proper form

or that the number of valid signatures is less than the minimum

number required. In determining the sufficiency of the form of the

House Bill No. 5650 as amended March 7, 2006  (1 of 2)

                     as amended March 23, 2006

petition, the [<<state director of elections          >>] shall not

consider the

substance of the proposal affixed to the petition. If the  board of

state canvassers [<<state director of elections                   >>]

declares that the

petition is sufficient, the secretary of state shall send copies of

the statement of purpose of the proposal  as approved by the board

of state canvassers under section 474 to the several daily and

weekly newspapers published in this state, with the request that

the newspapers give as wide publicity as possible to the proposed

amendment or other question. Publication of any matter by any

newspaper under this section shall be without expense or cost to

the  this state.  of Michigan.

     (2) For the purposes of the second paragraph of section 9 of

article II of the state constitution of 1963, a law that is the

subject of the referendum continues to be effective until the

referendum is properly invoked, which occurs when the  board of

state canvassers [<<state director of elections              >>] makes

[<<its  his or her>>

] official declaration of the sufficiency of the referendum

petition. The  board of state canvassers [<<state director of

elections >>] shall complete the canvass of a

referendum petition

within 60 days after the petition is filed with the secretary of

state, except that 1 15-day extension may be granted by the

secretary of state if necessary to complete the canvass.

[<<Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take

effect unless all of the following bills of the 93rd Legislature

are enacted into law:

     (a) Senate Bill No. 973.

     (b) Senate Bill No. 974.

     (c) Senate Bill No. 975.

     (d) Senate Bill No. 976.

     (e) House Bill No. 5648.

     (f) House Bill No. 5649.

House Bill No. 5650 as amended March 23, 2006

>>