The Wisconsin Idea/Initiative and Referendum Resolution
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM RESOLUTION
Joint Resolution No. 74, Laws of 1911
To amend section 1, of article IV of the constitution, to give to the people the power to propose laws and to enact or reject the same at the polls, and to approve or reject at the polls any act of the legislature; and to create section 3, of article XII of the constitution, providing for the submission of amendments to the constitution upon the petition of the people.
Resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That section 1, of article IV of the constitution, be amended to read:
Section 1. 1. The legislative power shall be vested in a senate and assembly, but the people reserve to themselves power, as herein provided, to propose laws and to enact or reject the same at the polls, independent of the legislature, and to approve or reject at the polls any law or any part of any law enacted by the legislature. The limitations expressed in the constitution on the power of the legislature to enact laws, shall be deemed limitations on the power of the people to enact laws.
2. (a) Any senator or member of the assembly may introduce, by presenting to the chief clerk in the house of which he is a member, in open session, at any time during any session of the legislature, any bill or any amendment to any such bill; provided, that the time for so introducing a bill may be limited by rule to not less than thirty legislative days.
(b) The chief clerk shall make a record of such bill and every amendment offered thereto and have the same printed.
3. A proposed law shall be recited in full in the petition, and shall consist of a bill which has been introduced in the legislature during the first thirty legislative days of the session, as so introduced; or, at the option of the petitioners, there may be incorporated in said bill any amendment or amendments introduced in the legislature. Such bill and amendments shall be referred to by number in the petition. Upon petition filed not later than four months before the next general election, such proposed law shall be submitted to a vote of the people, and shall become a law if it is approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon, and shall take effect and be in force from and after thirty days after the election at which it is approved.
4. (a) No law enacted by the legislature, except an emergency law, shall take effect before ninety days after its passage and publication. If within said ninety days there shall have been filed a petition to submit to a vote of the people such law or any part thereof, such law or such part thereof shall not take effect until thirty days after its approval by a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon.
(b) An emergency law shall remain in force, notwithstanding such petition, but shall stand repealed thirty days after being rejected by a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon.
(c) An emergency law shall be any law declared by the legislature to be necessary for any immediate purpose by a two-thirds vote of the members of each house voting thereon, entered on their journals by the yeas and nays. No law making any appropriation for maintaining the state government or maintaining or aiding any public institution, not exceeding the next previous appropriation for the same purpose, shall be subject to rejection or repeal under this section. The increase in any such appropriation shall only take effect as in case of other laws, and such increase, or any part thereof, specified in the petition may be referred to a vote of the people upon petition.
5. If measures which conflict with each other in any of their essential provisions are submitted at the same election, only the measure receiving the highest number of votes shall stand as the enactment of the people.
6. The petition shall be filed with the secretary of state and shall be sufficient to require the submission by him of a measure to the people when signed by eight per cent of the qualified electors calculated upon the whole number of votes cast for governor at the last preceding election, of whom not more than one-half shall be residents of any one county.
7. The vote upon measures referred to the people shall be taken at the next election occurring not less than four months after the filing of the petition, and held generally throughout the state pursuant to law or specially called by the governor.
8. The legislature shall provide for furnishing electors the text of all measures to be voted upon by the people.
9. Except that measures specifically affecting a subdivision of the state may be submitted to the people of that subdivision, the legislature shall submit measures to the people only as required by the constitution. .
Be it Further Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That article XII of the constitution, be amended by creating a new section to read:—
Section 3. 1. (a) Any senator or member of the assembly may introduce, by presenting to the chief clerk in the house in which he is a member, in open session, at any time during any session of the legislature, any proposed amendment to the constitution or any amendment to any such proposed amendment to the constitution; provided, that the time for so introducing a proposed amendment to the constitution may he limited by rule to not less than thirty legislative days.
(b) The chief clerk shall make a record of such proposed amendments to the constitution and any amendment thereto and have the same printed.
2. Any proposed amendment to the constitution shall be recited in full in the petition and shall consist of an amendment which has been introduced in the legislature during the first thirty legislative days, as so introduced, or, at the option of the petitioners, there may be incorporated therein any amendment or amendments thereto introduced in the legislature. Such amendment to the constitution and amendments thereto shall be referred to by number in the petition. Upon petition filed not later than four months before the next general election, such proposed amendment shall be submitted to the people.
3. The petition shall be filed with the secretary of state and shall be sufficient to require the submission by him of a proposed amendment to the constitution to the people when signed by ten per cent of the qualified electors, calculated upon the whole number of votes cast for governor at the last preceding election of whom not more than one-half shall be residents of any one county.
4. Any proposed amendment or amendments to this constitution, agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each of the two houses of the legislature, shall be entered on their journals with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and be submitted to the people by the secretary of state upon petition filed with him signed by five per cent of the qualified electors, calculated upon the whole number of votes cast for governor at the last preceding election of whom not more than one-half shall be residents of any one county.
5. The legislature shall provide for furnishing the electors the text of all amendments to the constitution to be voted upon by the people.
6. If the people shall approve and ratify such amendment or amendments by a majority of the electors voting thereon, such amendment or amendments shall become a part of the constitution, from and after the election at which approved; provided, that if more than one amendment be submitted they shall be submitted in such manner that the people may vote for or against such amendments separately.
7. If proposed amendments to the constitution which conflict with each other in any of their essential provisions are submitted at the same election, only the proposed amendment receiving the highest number of votes shall become a part of the constitution.