A proposed Utah bill that would make it harder for Utahns to bring issues directly to the ballot is stirring up debate in the Legislature.
Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, would require sponsors of initiative petitions to publish the full text of their proposed initiative in newspapers across the state for two months leading up to the election. If sponsors failed to do so, the initiative would become invalid — meaning that votes cast for or against the initiative would not be counted, and the proposed law would not be presented to voters.
Fillmore also explained the bill would require sponsors to provide a clear description of how the proposed law would be funded, including any new taxes or cuts to existing programs.
“So this would put a fiscal note, essentially, on citizen initiatives," he said. "And because we're required to balance our budget by the Constitution, it requires citizen initiatives to identify a source of funding.”
During a public comment period at a committee hearing, Billy Hesterman, the president of the Utah Taxpayers association, spoke in favor of the bill.
“This is a responsible way to handle the initiatives," he said, "to make sure that … anything passed by the voters is considered and thought out, and a framework is made so that we know how the funding will come [in]to play, and it doesn't put the pressure on taxpayers or on the legislature to raise taxes.”
But Katherine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, voiced her opinion that citizens’ initiatives were already difficult enough.
“I’m not here to say they should not be difficult," she said. "I've been out doing it — door to door — talking to constituents one by one. I am not paid at all, but now you are putting another fiscal difficulty on the citizens of Utah — something that you, as supposedly a co-equal branch, do not have, because you have staff to help you with that.”
Nat Williams, a democracy policy associate at Stewardship Utah, also pointed out that members of the Legislature were not expected to have a financial plan before proposing bills, so she did not see why citizens should be expected to do so.
“This creates a high burden for petitioners who don't have staff like the legislature does," she said. "So we would ask you to vote ‘no.’ Please do not make the initiative process any harder than it already is.”
SB 73 passed in the Senate and has now moved on to the House.
