Tighter petition rules debated
Lawmakers yesterday heard testimony on a trio of bills that would impose new regulations to the state's citizen initiative process.
Supporters of the three bills told the Legislature's Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee that new rules would help prevent fraud associated with gathering signatures for a citizen's initiative or people's veto, according to reports from the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald. LD 1730, sponsored by Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, would require signature gatherers to register with the secretary of state if they are being paid, would levy fines for failure to register and prevent people convicted of fraud or forgery in the last five years from circulating petitions.
A second bill, LD 1690, sponsored by House Majority Whip Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, would also require paid signature gatherers to register with the state, give people 10 days to challenge signatures instead of five, and allow people to decide to remove their names from petitions. LD 1692, sponsored by Rep. Emily Cain, D-Orono, would require petitions to list the cost of the initiative, according to the Press Herald.
But opponents of the proposals say they would infringe on people's ability to exercise their rights, and that the bills are an attempt to discourage people from seeking referendum initiatives by making the process harder and more costly, according to the papers.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
Go to the article from the Bangor Daily News >>
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