Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana House Bill HJR0002 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	HJ9202
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	HOUSE JOINT
4	4	RESOLUTION No. 2
5	5	_____
6	6	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED RESOL UTION
7	7
8	8	Citations Affected: Article 4 of the Constitution of the State of
9	9	Indiana.
10	10	Synopsis: Initiatives and referendums. Provides that the people of
11	11	Indiana may propose and adopt amendments to the Constitution of the
12	12	State of Indiana and propose and enact statutes independent of the
13	13	general assembly through initiative. Provides that the people of Indiana
14	14	may approve or reject through referendum any statute or part of any
15	15	statute enacted by the general assembly. This proposed amendment has
16	16	not been previously agreed to by a general assembly.
17	17	Effective: This proposed amendment must be agreed to by two
18	18	consecutive general assemblies and ratified by a majority of the state's
19	19	voters voting on the question to be effective.
20	20	Errington
21	21	January 13, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary.
22	22	20251244
23	23	2025 HJ 2—HJ 9202/DI 107 Introduced
24	24	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
25	25	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
26	26	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
27	27	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
28	28	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
29	29	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the word
30	30	NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds a
31	31	new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
32	32	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
33	33	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
34	34	HOUSE JOINT
35	35	RESOLUTION No. 2
36	36	A JOINT RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to Article 4 of
37	37	the Constitution of the State of Indiana concerning elections.
38	38	Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
39	39	1 SECTION 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of the
40	40	2 State of Indiana is proposed and agreed to by this, the One Hundred
41	41	3 Twenty-fourth General Assembly of the State of Indiana, and is
42	42	4 referred to the next General Assembly for reconsideration and
43	43	5 agreement.
44	44	6 SECTION 2. ARTICLE 4, SECTION 1 OF THE CONSTITUTION
45	45	7 OF THE STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED TO READ AS
46	46	8 FOLLOWS: Section 1. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this
47	47	9 Constitution, the Legislative authority of the State shall be vested in
48	48	10 a General Assembly, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of
49	49	11 Representatives. The style of every law shall be: "Be it enacted by the
50	50	12 General Assembly of the State of Indiana"; and no law shall be enacted,
51	51	13 except by bill.
52	52	2025 HJ 2—HJ 9202/DI 107 2
53	53	1 (b) The people reserve to themselves the power, independent of
54	54	2 the General Assembly, to do the following:
55	55	3 (1) Propose statutes and amendments to this Constitution.
56	56	4 (2) Adopt or reject by ballot their proposed statutes or
57	57	5 amendments to this Constitution.
58	58	6 (3) Approve or reject by ballot any statute, or section or part
59	59	7 of any statute, enacted by the General Assembly.
60	60	8 (c) The style of every statute enacted by the people shall be: "Be
61	61	9 it enacted by the People of the State of Indiana:". The style of
62	62	10 every statute enacted by the General Assembly shall be: "Be it
63	63	11 enacted by the People of the State of Indiana, through the General
64	64	12 Assembly:".
65	65	13 SECTION 3. ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
66	66	14 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
67	67	15 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 31. (a) As used in this
68	68	16 section, "measure" refers to either of the following:
69	69	17 (1) A statute.
70	70	18 (2) An amendment to this Constitution.
71	71	19 (b) An initiative is the power of the voters of Indiana to propose
72	72	20 a measure and to adopt or reject the proposed measure.
73	73	21 (c) A measure shall be submitted to the voters of Indiana if a
74	74	22 petition containing the text of the proposed measure is signed by
75	75	23 the number of Indiana voters equal to two percent (2%) of the total
76	76	24 number of votes cast for Secretary of State at the most recent
77	77	25 election for Secretary of State.
78	78	26 (d) All Indiana law not inconsistent with this section relating to
79	79	27 election petitions and elections for public questions applies to an
80	80	28 initiative.
81	81	29 SECTION 4. ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
82	82	30 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
83	83	31 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 32. (a) A referendum
84	84	32 is the power of the voters of Indiana to approve or reject statutes
85	85	33 or parts of statutes enacted by the General Assembly.
86	86	34 (b) A referendum public question shall be submitted to the
87	87	35 voters of Indiana if a petition identifying the statute or part of the
88	88	36 statute enacted by the General Assembly to be approved or
89	89	37 rejected is signed by the number of Indiana voters equal to two
90	90	38 percent (2%) of the total number of votes cast for Secretary of
91	91	39 State at the most recent election for Secretary of State.
92	92	40 (c) All Indiana law not inconsistent with this section relating to
93	93	41 election petitions and elections for public questions applies to a
94	94	42 referendum.
95	95	2025 HJ 2—HJ 9202/DI 107 3
96	96	1 SECTION 5. ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
97	97	2 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
98	98	3 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 33. (a) If an initiative
99	99	4 or a referendum is approved by a majority of the votes cast on the
100	100	5 initiative or referendum, the initiative or referendum takes effect,
101	101	6 subject to subsection (b), five (5) days after the date the results of
102	102	7 the public question are certified as provided by law, unless the
103	103	8 initiative or referendum provides otherwise.
104	104	9 (b) If an initiative statute requires, either implicitly or explicitly,
105	105	10 that a government entity spend money to carry out the initiative
106	106	11 statute, the statute does not take effect until the initiative statute or
107	107	12 another statute provides a source of funding to the government
108	108	13 entities required to carry out the initiative statute.
109	109	14 (c) If a referendum petition is filed against part of a statute, the
110	110	15 remainder of the statute is not delayed from taking effect.
111	111	16 (d) If provisions of two (2) or more initiatives or referenda
112	112	17 approved at the same election conflict, the provisions of the
113	113	18 initiative or referendum receiving the highest affirmative vote
114	114	19 prevails.
115	115	20 (e) The General Assembly may not amend or repeal referendum
116	116	21 statutes.
117	117	22 (f) The General Assembly may amend or repeal an initiative
118	118	23 statute by another statute only when the other statute is approved
119	119	24 by the voters in a referendum, unless the initiative statute permits
120	120	25 amendment or repeal without the approval of the voters.
121	121	26 (g) The veto power of the governor does not extend to an
122	122	27 initiative or a referendum statute approved by the voters.
123	123	2025 HJ 2—HJ 9202/DI 107