[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 85 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 85

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give 
 citizens of the United States the right to propose amendments to the 
                 Constitution by an initiative process.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 1997

   Mr. Hoekstra introduced the following joint resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give 
 citizens of the United States the right to propose amendments to the 
                 Constitution by an initiative process.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article --

    ``Section 1. The people shall have the right to propose amendments 
to the Constitution through the initiative process provided in this 
article.
    ``Section 2. A petition proposing an amendment to the Constitution 
shall be submitted to an officer of the Government of the United States 
whom the Congress shall designate by law. Each petition shall contain 
the text of the proposed amendment. Each petition shall be signed by at 
least 3 percent of the whole number of people, in each of at least 10 
States, who voted in the most recent election for President, or for 
electors for President, occurring before the date on which the petition 
is submitted to the officer designated by Congress, and the total 
number of signatures on such petition shall be at least 3 percent of 
the whole number of people, from all of the several States, who voted 
in such election. All such signatures shall be collected within the 18-
month period ending on the date the petition is submitted to the 
officer designated by the Congress.
    ``Within 90 days after a petition is submitted to the officer 
designated by the Congress, such officer shall determine the validity 
of the signatures contained in the petition. If the petition contains 
the required number of valid signatures, the officer shall certify the 
petition and shall direct the chief executive officer in each State to 
place a copy of the proposed amendment contained in the petition on the 
ballot in the first election (other than an election to fill a vacancy) 
for Members of the House of Representatives which is held at least 120 
days after such certification. The Congress shall by law establish 
procedures for the preparation and submission of any such petition and 
for the validation of signatures on such petition.
    ``Section 3. If the amendment proposed under this article receives 
a majority of the votes cast in three-fifths of the several States, the 
amendment shall be deemed proposed to the States for ratification under 
article V of this Constitution. Congress shall provide by law which of 
the eligible modes of ratification shall be used.
    ``Section 4. The people in each State voting under this article 
shall have the qualification requisite for electors of the most 
numerous branch of the State legislature. The Congress shall by law 
prescribe the manner in which the results of the voting conducted under 
this article shall be ascertained and declared.''.
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