The South Dakota House of Representatives is passing a bill that gives the Legislative Research Council more time to draft and provide written comments for ballot measure petitions.
The idea for the bill came out of a legislative summer study committee that looked at the initiative and referendum process.
Critics worry the bill impedes the public’s ability to pass its own legislation.
The Legislative Research Council provides analysis of state statutes, fiscal impacts and further research for the legislature, but also helps with drafting petitions for circulation.
House bill 1006 gives the LRC additional time to provide written comments to petition sponsors, if the LRC receives any initiated measure or amendment from December 1, through the end of session. Those 15 working days start the day after the legislature adjourns.
Republican Representative Kent Peterson says legislative session is the LRC’s busiest time of year. He says the aims to give them more time.
“If an amendment is submitted during these times the comments are not required until 15 days post-adjournment,” Peterson says. “However, if time allows, the director would obviously be able to get comments back to them sooner if that’s possible.”
But critics of the LRC extension say it could stifle the petition process.
Democratic Representative Julie Bartling is one of two representatives who voted against the bill. Bartling says petition sponsors may have to wait until summer before circulating petition.
“I know they’ll eventually be able to circulate those petitions, but it just gives them a little less time and limitations are placed on how much time they would have to circulate,” Bartling says. “Some of those measures are very important. They’re very complicated measures and it takes a while to explain that to people and get signatures. I just hated to see that happen.”
Bartling brought an amendment that also gave the LRC additional time to provide comments during session. That amendment was voted down. The amendment would have given the LRC 30 days from the date a petition request is received, not from the end of session. LRC currently only gets 15 days to provide comment. The bill now heads to the Senate.