HOUSE 3rd Reading Unamended April 24, 2014 HOUSE 2nd Reading Unamended April 23, 2014Second Regular Session Sixty-ninth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO REENGROSSED LLS NO. R14-0294.01 Ed DeCecco x4216 HCR14-1002 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Court and Coram, Priola, Dore, Rankin, Humphrey, Becker, Buckner, Exum, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer, Foote, Garcia, Ginal, Hamner, Hullinghorst, Kagan, Labuda, Landgraf, Lee, May, McCann, McLachlan, McNulty, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Peniston, Primavera, Rosenthal, Ryden, Salazar, Schafer, Singer, Stephens, Tyler, Vigil, Williams, Wilson, Wright, Young SENATE SPONSORSHIP Crowder and Schwartz, House Committees Senate Committees State, Veterans, & Military Affairs HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 14-1002 Submitting to the registered electors of the state of Colorado an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the petition signatures required for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, and, in connection therewith, requiring a portion of the petition signatures for the amendment be gathered from voters who reside in each Colorado congressional district, increasing the total number of petition signatures required for the amendment, and excluding the repeal of an amendment passed prior to 2015 from these petition signature requirements. Resolution Summary (Note: This summary applies to this resolution as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this resolution passes third reading in the house of introduction, a resolution summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this resolution will be available at http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.) The resolution doubles the number of signatures required for an initiative petition that amends the state constitution. It also adds a new requirement that a portion of those signatures be collected from each congressional district in the state. For each district, this geographic distribution currently equals 1% of the votes cast for the secretary of state, but this percentage will change if the number of state congressional districts changes. An initiative petition that includes both state legislation, which includes statutory changes, and a constitutional amendment must meet the signature requirements for a constitutional amendment. Neither the increased signature requirement nor the geographic distribution requirement applies to a measure that only repeals any provision from any amendment approved by voters prior to 2015. Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein: SECTION 1. At the next election at which such question may be submitted, there shall be submitted to the registered electors of the state of Colorado, for their approval or rejection, the following amendment to the constitution of the state of Colorado, to wit: In the constitution of the state of Colorado, section 1 of article V, amend (2) as follows: Section 1. General assembly - initiative and referendum. (2) (a) The first power hereby reserved by the people is the initiative. and Except as set forth in paragraph (b) of this subsection (2), signatures by registered electors in an amount equal to at least five percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office of secretary of state at the previous general election shall be required to propose any measure by petition, and every such petition shall include the full text of the measure so proposed. Initiative petitions for state legislation and amendments to the constitution, in such form as may be prescribed pursuant to law, shall be addressed to and filed with the secretary of state at least three months before the general election at which they are to be voted upon. (b) Signatures by registered electors in an amount equal to at least ten percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office of secretary of state at the previous general election are required to propose an amendment to the constitution by petition that is voted upon at the 2015 odd-year election or any election thereafter, but this requirement does not apply to an amendment that only repeals any provision from any amendment approved by voters prior to 2015. (c) A minimum number of signatures by registered electors residing in each United States congressional district in Colorado is required to propose an amendment to the constitution by petition that is voted upon at the 2015 odd-year election or any election thereafter. This minimum number is equal to seventy percent of the minimum number of the total signatures required for the initiative petition pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (2) divided by the number of United States congressional districts in Colorado. For purposes of this paragraph (c), the number and boundaries of the congressional districts are those in effect at the time that the initiative petition is filed with the secretary of state. This requirement does not apply to an amendment that only repeals any provision from any amendment approved by voters prior to 2015. (d) An initiative petition for state legislation and an amendment to the constitution must meet the requirements for an amendment to the constitution for purposes of the signature requirements in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection (2). SECTION 2. Each elector voting at said election and desirous of voting for or against said amendment shall cast a vote as provided by law either "Yes/For" or "No/Against" on the proposition: "Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the petition signatures required for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment that requires a portion of the petition signatures for the amendment be gathered from voters who reside in each Colorado congressional district, increases the total number of petition signatures required for the amendment, and excludes the repeal of an amendment passed prior to 2015 from these petition signature requirements?" SECTION 3. The votes cast for the adoption or rejection of said amendment shall be canvassed and the result determined in the manner provided by law for the canvassing of votes for representatives in Congress, and if a majority of the electors voting on the question shall have voted "Yes/For", the said amendment shall become a part of the state constitution.