| 1 | 1 | | Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law. |
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| 2 | 2 | | *SSS015* 11/20/2024 10:57:23 AM SSS015 |
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| 3 | 3 | | State of Arkansas 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | 95th General Assembly A Bill 2 |
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| 5 | 5 | | Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1042 3 |
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| 6 | 6 | | 4 |
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| 7 | 7 | | By: Representative A. Collins 5 |
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| 8 | 8 | | 6 |
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| 9 | 9 | | 7 |
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| 10 | 10 | | For An Act To Be Entitled 8 |
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| 11 | 11 | | AN ACT TO CREATE THE DIRECT DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2025; TO 9 |
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| 12 | 12 | | REPEAL THE ENSURING ACCESS FOR ALL ARKANSANS AND 10 |
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| 13 | 13 | | VOTER PROTECTION ACT OF 2023; TO AMEND THE PROCEDURE 11 |
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| 14 | 14 | | FOR THE FILING OF A BALLOT INITIATIVE PETITION AND 12 |
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| 15 | 15 | | REFERENDUM PETITION; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING 13 |
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| 16 | 16 | | STATEWIDE PETITIONS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 14 |
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| 17 | 17 | | 15 |
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| 18 | 18 | | 16 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Subtitle 17 |
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| 20 | 20 | | TO CREATE THE DIRECT DEMOCRACY ACT OF 18 |
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| 21 | 21 | | 2025; TO REPEAL THE ENSURING ACCESS FOR 19 |
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| 22 | 22 | | ALL ARKANSANS AND VOTER PROTECTION ACT 20 |
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| 23 | 23 | | OF 2023; AND TO AMEND THE PROCEDURE FOR 21 |
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| 24 | 24 | | THE FILING OF A BALLOT INITIATIVE 22 |
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| 25 | 25 | | PETITION AND REFERENDUM PETITION. 23 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 24 |
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| 27 | 27 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 26 |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Title. 27 |
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| 30 | 30 | | This act shall be known and may be cited as "The Direct Democracy Act 28 |
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| 31 | 31 | | of 2025". 29 |
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| 32 | 32 | | 30 |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 7-9-126(e) and (f), concerning the count of 31 |
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| 34 | 34 | | signatures for initiative petitions or referendum petitions, are repealed. 32 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (e) In order to certify a measure for the statewide election ballot, 33 |
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| 36 | 36 | | the official charged with verifying the signatures on an initiative petition 34 |
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| 37 | 37 | | or referendum petition shall also verify: 35 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) For a statutory initiative petition or referendum petition, 36 HB1042 |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | 2 11/20/2024 10:57:23 AM |
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| 41 | 41 | | that: 1 |
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| 42 | 42 | | (A) Petitions are filed from at least fifty (50) counties 2 |
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| 43 | 43 | | of the state; and 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | (B) The petitions bear the signature of at least one -half 4 |
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| 45 | 45 | | (½) of the designated percentage of the electors of each county represented 5 |
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| 46 | 46 | | in subdivision (e)(1)(A) of this section; and 6 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (2) For an initiative petition for a constitutional amendment, 7 |
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| 48 | 48 | | that: 8 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (A) Petitions are filed from at least fifty (50) counties 9 |
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| 50 | 50 | | of the state; and 10 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (B) The petitions bear the signature of at least one -half 11 |
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| 52 | 52 | | (½) of the designated percentage of the electors of each county represented 12 |
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| 53 | 53 | | in subdivision (e)(2)(A) of this section. 13 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (f) If the requirements of subsection (e) of this section are less 14 |
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| 55 | 55 | | than the designated number of signatures or counties represented by petitions 15 |
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| 56 | 56 | | required by the Arkansas Constitution and statutory law in order to certify 16 |
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| 57 | 57 | | the measure for the ballot and the deadline for filing petitions has passed, 17 |
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| 58 | 58 | | the official charged with verifying the signatures shall declare the petition 18 |
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| 59 | 59 | | insufficient and shall not accept and file any additional signatures to cure 19 |
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| 60 | 60 | | the insufficiency of the petition on its face. 20 |
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