SCS/HCS/HB 780 - This act allows, but does not require, the General Assembly to draft the summary statement and fiscal note summary for measures its submits to the voters. If the General Assembly does draft the summary statement or fiscal note summary, it shall meet the same standards as the summary statement or fiscal note summary prepared by the Secretary of State or Auditor, respectively, except that articles shall not be counted when counting the 50 words maximum for the summary statement or fiscal note summary.

When the General Assembly does not prepare the summary statement or the fiscal note summary, the summary statement or fiscal note summary shall be prepared by the Secretary of State or the Auditor as provided by law.

The act also makes the President Pro Tem, the Speaker, the sponsor of the bill and the Secretary of State the defendants if there is a challenge to the summary statement or fiscal note summary. A court action to challenge the summary statement or fiscal note summary prepared by the General Assembly must be filed no later than 10 days after the Secretary of State certifies the Official Ballot Title.

This act also modifies various provisions of initiative and referendum petitions, similar to SB 473 and part of SS/SB 455. This act:

(1) Requires petition circulators to register with the Secretary of State no later than the last day to turn in petition signatures;

(2) Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish a process for the random sampling of signatures, when verifying signatures;

(3) Provides that signatures crossed out and signatures acquired by a non-registered petition circulator are invalid;

(4) Places ballot measures on the ballot in the order approved by the General Assembly;

(5) Changes the deadline for submitting full verification of signatures from the election authority to the Secretary of State (last Tuesday in July instead of early to mid-August);

(6) Changes penalty provisions for false signatures from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor with an enhanced fine of up to $10,000;

(7) Establishes a schedule for sending petition signatures to the election authority for verification; and

(8) Establishes a deadline for the Secretary of State to issue a certificate of petition, to allow possible litigation to proceed earlier.

This act has an emergency clause, and is similar to SS/SB 455 (1999) and CCS/SS/SCS/HCS/HB 676.
MARGARET J. TOALSON