[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2061 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2061

  To provide that the voters of the United States be given the right, 
through advisory voter initiative, to propose the enactment and repeal 
                of Federal laws in a national election.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 1997

 Mr. Hoekstra introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on House Oversight, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide that the voters of the United States be given the right, 
through advisory voter initiative, to propose the enactment and repeal 
                of Federal laws in a national election.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Advisory Voter Initiative 
Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE.

    The people shall have the right--
            (1) to propose any law which the Congress has authority to 
        pass; and
            (2) to propose the repeal of any provision of law passed by 
        the Congress which has become law.

SEC. 3. PETITION PROCEDURE.

    A petition proposing the enactment of a law, or the repeal of a 
provision of law, shall be submitted to an officer of the United States 
whom the Congress shall designate by law. Each petition shall contain 
the text of the proposed law, or, in the case of a repeal, the text of 
the provision of law proposed to be repealed. 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 last presidential election before 
the date on which the petition is submitted. 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 that 
election. All signatures shall be collected during the 18-month period 
ending on the date on which the petition is submitted.

SEC. 4. BALLOT PROCEDURE.

    Not later than 90 days after a petition is submitted under section 
3, the officer to whom the petition is submitted shall determine the 
validity of the signatures on 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 of each State to 
place a copy of the proposed law, or provision of law proposed to be 
repealed on the ballot in the first House of Representatives election 
(other than an election to fill a vacancy) which is held at least 120 
days after such certification. The Congress shall by law--
            (1) establish procedures for the preparation and submission 
        of petitions and for the validation of petition signatures; and
            (2) prescribe the manner in which the results of the voting 
        conducted under this Act shall be ascertained and declared.

SEC. 5. REIMBURSEMENT.

    (a) In General.--A State shall be reimbursed at the rate of 4 cents 
per voter for not less than one and not more than 3 proposed laws or 
repeals for each general election ballot. All such reimbursements shall 
be made from the franking accounts of the Congress, with equal amounts 
from the franking accounts of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate in proportion to population. The Clerk of the House of 
Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate shall be responsible 
for ensuring the proper application for, and payment of, reimbursements 
under this section.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for reimbursements under 
subsection (a).

SEC. 6. CONGRESSIONAL ACTION.

    If a law or repeal proposed under this Act receives a majority of 
the votes cast in \3/5\ of the several States, the proposed law or 
repeal shall be introduced in the House of Representatives by the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives and in the Senate by the 
President pro tempore of the Senate on the first day of the first 
session of the Congress following the vote.

SEC. 7. VOTER QUALIFICATIONS.

    The people in each State voting under this Act shall have the 
qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of 
the State legislature.
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