September 9, 2004, Introduced by Reps. Vander Veen, Voorhees, Hoogendyk, Casperson, Stahl, Pappageorge, Nofs, Walker, Amos, Shulman, Ehardt, Julian, Mortimer, Kooiman, Caul, Middaugh, DeRoche, Hune, Farhat, Richardville, Shaffer, Acciavatti, Emmons, Huizenga, Brandenburg, Hummel, Meyer, Woronchak, Koetje, Newell, Steil and Ruth Johnson and referred to the Committee on Local Government and Urban Policy.
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
by amending section 477 (MCL 168.477), as amended by 1999 PA
219.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 477. (1) The board of state canvassers shall make an
2 official declaration of the sufficiency or insufficiency of a
3 petition under this chapter at least 2 months before the election
4 at which the proposal is to be submitted. The board of state
5 canvassers shall declare the petition sufficient unless it
6 determines that the petition is not in proper form or that the
7 number of valid signatures is less than the minimum number
8 required. If the board of state canvassers declares that the
9 petition is sufficient, the secretary of state shall send copies
10 of the statement of purpose of the proposal as approved by the
1 board of state canvassers under section 474 to the several daily
2 and weekly newspapers published in this state, with the request
3 that the newspapers give as wide publicity as possible to the
4 proposed amendment or other question. Publication of any matter
5 by any newspaper under this section shall be without expense or
6 cost to the state of Michigan.
7 (2) For the purposes of the second paragraph of section 9 of
8 article II of the state constitution of 1963, a law that is the
9 subject of the referendum continues to be effective until the
10 referendum is properly invoked, which occurs when the board of
11 state canvassers makes its official declaration of the
12 sufficiency of the referendum petition. The board of state
13 canvassers shall complete the canvass of a referendum petition
14 within 60 days after the petition is filed with the secretary of
15 state, except that 1 15-day extension may be granted by the
16 secretary of state if necessary to complete the canvass.