Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana Senate Bill SJR0024 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SJ9621
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	SENATE JOINT
4	4	RESOLUTION No. _____
5	5	_____
6	6	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED RESOL UTION
7	7	Citations Affected: Article 4 of the Constitution of the State of
8	8	Indiana.
9	9	Synopsis: Initiatives and referendums. Provides that the people of
10	10	Indiana may propose and adopt amendments to the Constitution of the
11	11	State of Indiana through an initiative. Provides that the people of
12	12	Indiana may approve or reject any statute or part of any statute enacted
13	13	by the general assembly through a referendum. This proposed
14	14	amendment has not been previously agreed to by a general assembly.
15	15	Effective: This proposed amendment must be agreed to by two
16	16	consecutive general assemblies and ratified by a majority of the state's
17	17	voters voting on the question to be effective.
18	18	Taylor G
19	19	_______________________, read first time and referred to Committee on
20	20	20251886
21	21	2025 SJ 9621/DI 107 Introduced
22	22	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
23	23	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
24	24	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
25	25	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
26	26	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
27	27	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the word
28	28	NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds a
29	29	new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
30	30	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
31	31	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
32	32	SENATE JOINT
33	33	RESOLUTION
34	34	A JOINT RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to Article 4 of
35	35	the Constitution of the State of Indiana concerning elections.
36	36	Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
37	37	1 SECTION 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of the
38	38	2 State of Indiana is proposed and agreed to by this, the One Hundred
39	39	3 Twenty-fourth General Assembly of the State of Indiana, and is
40	40	4 referred to the next General Assembly for reconsideration and
41	41	5 agreement.
42	42	6 SECTION 2. ARTICLE 4, SECTION 1 OF THE CONSTITUTION
43	43	7 OF THE STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED TO READ AS
44	44	8 FOLLOWS: Section 1. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this
45	45	9 Constitution, the Legislative authority of the State shall be vested in
46	46	10 a General Assembly, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of
47	47	11 Representatives. The style of every law shall be: "Be it enacted by the
48	48	12 General Assembly of the State of Indiana"; and no law shall be enacted,
49	49	13 except by bill.
50	50	2025 SJ 9621/DI 107 2
51	51	1 (b) The people reserve to themselves the power, independent of
52	52	2 the General Assembly, to do the following:
53	53	3 (1) Propose statutes and amendments to the Constitution of
54	54	4 the State of Indiana.
55	55	5 (2) Adopt or reject their proposed statutes or amendments to
56	56	6 the Constitution of the State of Indiana by ballot.
57	57	7 (3) Approve or reject by ballot any statute, or section or part
58	58	8 of any statute, enacted by the General Assembly.
59	59	9 (c) The style of every statute enacted by the people shall be: "Be
60	60	10 it enacted by the People of the State of Indiana:". The style of
61	61	11 every statute enacted by the General Assembly shall be: "Be it
62	62	12 enacted by the People of the State of Indiana, through the General
63	63	13 Assembly:".
64	64	14 SECTION 3. ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
65	65	15 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
66	66	16 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 31. (a) As used in this
67	67	17 section, "initiative" means the power of the voters of Indiana to
68	68	18 approve or reject an amendment to the Constitution of the State of
69	69	19 Indiana.
70	70	20 (b) An initiative shall be submitted to the voters of Indiana if a
71	71	21 petition containing the text of the proposed initiative is approved
72	72	22 by the number of Indiana voters equal to five percent (5%) of the
73	73	23 total number of votes cast for Secretary of State at the most recent
74	74	24 election for Secretary of State.
75	75	25 SECTION 4. ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
76	76	26 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
77	77	27 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 32. (a) As used in this
78	78	28 section, "referendum" means the power of the voters of Indiana to
79	79	29 approve or reject:
80	80	30 (1) a statute;
81	81	31 (2) a part of a statute; or
82	82	32 (3) parts of statutes;
83	83	33 enacted by the General Assembly.
84	84	34 (b) A referendum shall be submitted as a public question to the
85	85	35 voters of Indiana if a petition identifying the statute or part of the
86	86	36 statute enacted by the General Assembly to be approved or
87	87	37 rejected is signed by the number of Indiana voters equal to five
88	88	38 percent (5%) of the total number of votes cast for Secretary of
89	89	39 State at the most recent election for Secretary of State.
90	90	40 SECTION 5. ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
91	91	41 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
92	92	42 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 33. (a) As used in this
93	93	2025 SJ 9621/DI 107 3
94	94	1 section, "initiative" means the power of the voters of Indiana to
95	95	2 approve or reject an amendment to the Constitution of the State of
96	96	3 Indiana.
97	97	4 (b) As used in this section, "referendum" means the power of
98	98	5 the voters of Indiana to approve or reject:
99	99	6 (1) a statute;
100	100	7 (2) a part of a statute; or
101	101	8 (3) parts of statutes;
102	102	9 enacted by the General Assembly.
103	103	10 (c) If an initiative or a referendum is approved by a majority of
104	104	11 the votes cast on the initiative or referendum, the initiative or
105	105	12 referendum takes effect, subject to subsection (d), five days after
106	106	13 the date the results of the public question are certified as provided
107	107	14 by law, unless the initiative or referendum provides otherwise.
108	108	15 (d) If an initiative requires, either implicitly or explicitly, that
109	109	16 a government entity spend money to carry out the initiative, the
110	110	17 statute or amended statute does not take effect until the initiative
111	111	18 or another statute provides a source of funding to the government
112	112	19 entities required to carry out the initiative.
113	113	20 (e) If a referendum petition is filed against part of a statute, the
114	114	21 remainder of the statute is not delayed from taking effect.
115	115	22 (f) If provisions of two or more initiatives or referenda
116	116	23 approved at the same election conflict, the provisions of the
117	117	24 initiative or referendum receiving the highest affirmative vote
118	118	25 prevails.
119	119	26 (g) The General Assembly may amend or repeal a statute
120	120	27 created or amended by a referendum.
121	121	28 (h) The veto power of the governor does not extend to an
122	122	29 initiative or a referendum statute approved by the voters.
123	123	30 SECTION 6. ARTICLE 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
124	124	31 STATE OF INDIANA IS AMENDED BY ADDING A NEW
125	125	32 SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: Section 34. The General
126	126	33 Assembly shall provide by law for the exercise of initiative and
127	127	34 referendum powers by the voters of each unit of local government.
128	128	2025 SJ 9621/DI 107