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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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55	55	1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021)
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57	57	SENATE BILL 506 By: Paxton
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63	63	AS INTRODUCED
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65	65	An Act relating to initiative and referendum;
66	66	amending 34 O.S. 2011, Section 8, as las t amended by
67	67	Section 8, Chapter 125, O.S.L. 20 20 (34 O.S. Supp.
68	68	2020, Section 8), which relates to proposed petition
69	69	and protest; increasing time limitation for filing
70	70	certain protest or o bjection; and providing an
71	71	effective date.
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77	77	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
78	78	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 34 O.S. 2011, Section 8, as last
79	79	amended by Section 8, Chapter 125, O.S.L. 2020 (34 O.S. Supp. 2020,
80	80	Section 8), is amended to read as follows:
81	81	Section 8. A. When a citizen or citizens desire to circulate a
82	82	petition initiating a proposition of any nature, whether to become a
83	83	statute law or an amendment to the Constitution, or for the purpose
84	84	of invoking a referendum upon legislative enactments, such citizen
85	85	or citizens shall, when such petition is prepared, and before the
86	86	same is circulated or signed by electors, file a true and exact copy
87	87	of same in the office of the Secretary of State and shall at the
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139	139	same time file a separate ballot title, which shall not be part of
140	140	or printed on the petition.
141	141	B. It shall be the dut y of the Secretary of State to cause to
142	142	be published, in at l east one newspaper of general circulation in
143	143	the state, a notice of such filing and the apparent sufficiency or
144	144	insufficiency of the petition, a nd shall include notice that any
145	145	citizen or citizens of the state may file a protest as to the
146	146	constitutionality of the petition, by a written notice to the
147	147	Supreme Court and to the proponent or proponents filing the
148	148	petition. Any such protest must be fil ed within ten (10) twenty
149	149	(20) business days after publication. A copy of the protest shall
150	150	be filed with the Secretary of State.
151	151	C. Upon the filing of a protest to the petition, the Supreme
152	152	Court shall then fix a day, not less than ten (10) business day s
153	153	thereafter, at which time it will hear testimony and arguments for
154	154	and against the sufficiency of such petitio n.
155	155	D. A protest filed by anyone hereunder may, if abandoned by the
156	156	party filing same, be revived within five (5) business days by any
157	157	other citizen. After such hearing the Supreme Court shall d ecide
158	158	whether such petition is in the form required by the st atutes. If
159	159	the Court is at the time adjourned, the Chief Justice shall
160	160	immediately convene the same for such hearing. No objection to the
161	161	sufficiency shall be considered unless it has been made and filed as
162	162	herein provided.
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214	214	E. Signature-gathering Deadline for Initiative Pe titions. When
215	215	an initiative petition has been filed in the office of the Secretary
216	216	of State and all appeals, protests and r ehearings have been resolved
217	217	or the period for such has expired, the Secretary of State shall set
218	218	the date for circulation of signat ures for the petition to begin but
219	219	in no event shall the date be less than fifteen (15) days nor more
220	220	than thirty (30) days from the date when all appeals, protests and
221	221	rehearings have been resolved or have expired. Notification shall
222	222	be sent to the propo nents specifying the date on which circulation
223	223	of the petition shall begin and that the signatures are due within
224	224	ninety (90) days of the date set. Each elector shall sign hi s or
225	225	her name and legibly print his or her name, birth date a nd address
226	226	associated with his or her Oklahoma voter registration record. Any
227	227	petition not filed in accordance with this provision shall not be
228	228	considered. The proponents of an initiative petit ion, any time
229	229	before the final submission of signatures, may withdraw the
230	230	initiative petition upon written notification to the Secretary of
231	231	State.
232	232	F. Signature-gathering Deadline for Referendum Petitions. All
233	233	signed signatures supporting a referendum pet ition shall be filed
234	234	with the Secretary of State not later th an ninety (90) days after
235	235	the adjournment of the legislative session in which the measure,
236	236	which is the subject of the referendum petition, was enacted.
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288	288	G. The proponents of a referendum or an i nitiative petition may
289	289	terminate the circulation period any t ime during the ninet y-day
290	290	circulation period by certifying to the Secretary of State that:
291	291	1. All signed petitions have already been filed with the
292	292	Secretary of State;
293	293	2. No more petitions are in circulation; and
294	294	3. The proponents will not circulate any more petitions.
295	295	If the Secretary of State receives such a certification from the
296	296	proponents, the Secretary of State shall begin the counting an d
297	297	review process.
298	298	H. When the signed copies of a p etition pamphlet are timely
299	299	filed, the Secretary of State sha ll file a copy of th e proponent’s
300	300	ballot title with the Attorney General and, after conducting a count
301	301	and review of the filed, signed petition pamphlets, the Secretary of
302	302	State shall certify to the Supreme Court of the state:
303	303	1. The total number of signa tures counted pursua nt to
304	304	procedures set forth in this title; and
305	305	2. The total number of votes cast for the state office
306	306	receiving the highest number of votes cast at the last general
307	307	election.
308	308	The Supreme Court shall make the determination of the numeric al
309	309	sufficiency or insufficiency of the signatures counted and reviewed
310	310	by the Secretary of State.
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362	362	I. Upon order of the Supreme Court it shall b e the duty of the
363	363	Secretary of State to forthwith c ause to be published, in at least
364	364	one newspaper of general ci rculation in the sta te, a notice of the
365	365	filing of the signed petitions and the apparent sufficiency or
366	366	insufficiency thereof, and shall also pub lish the text of the ballot
367	367	title as reviewed and a pproved or, if applicable, as rewritten by
368	368	the Attorney General pursuant to the p rovisions of subsection D of
369	369	Section 9 of this title and notice that any citizen or citizens of
370	370	the state may file an object ion to the count made by the Secretary
371	371	of State, by a written notice to the Supreme Court and to the
372	372	proponent or proponents filing the petition. Any such objection
373	373	must be filed within ten (10) twenty (20) business days after
374	374	publication and must relate only to the validity or number of the
375	375	signatures or a challenge to the ballot title. A copy of the
376	376	objection to the count or ballot title shall be filed with the
377	377	Supreme Court, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State.
378	378	J. Upon appeal and if ordere d or directed by the Supreme Court,
379	379	the Secretary of State shall deliver the bound volumes of signatures
380	380	to the Supreme Court.
381	381	K. Upon the filing of an objection to the signature count or
382	382	ballot title, the Supreme Court shall resolve the objection with
383	383	dispatch. The Supreme Court shall adopt rules to gov ern proceedings
384	384	to apply to the challenge of a measure on the grounds that the
385	385	proponents failed to gather sufficient signatures.
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437	437	L. If in the opinion of the Supreme Court, any objection to the
438	438	count or protest to the petition is frivolous, the Court may impose
439	439	appropriate sanctions , including an award of costs and attorneys
440	440	attorney fees to either party as the Court deems equitable.
441	441	M. Whenever reference is made in this act to the Supreme Court,
442	442	such reference shall include the members of the Supreme Cou rt or any
443	443	officer constitutionally designated to perform the duties he rein
444	444	prescribed.
445	445	SECTION 2. This act shall become effective No vember 1, 2021.
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447	447	58-1-964 TEK 1/20/2021 9:57:01 AM

Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB506 Compare Versions