Attorney General Information: Initiative and Referendum Proposals Pending Review By Attorney General. The list below indicates proposed initiative and referendum measures that have been submitted to the Attorney General for preparation of the circulating title and summary. When the official circulating title and summary is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the …
The Attorney General then has 10 business days to conduct an examination to determine if the summary is a fair and truthful representation of the proposed changes to the law. If the Attorney General determines the summary is fair and truthful, the Attorney General must certify the petition to the Secretary of State. (ORC 3519.01(B)). Obtaining ...
· What does a state attorney general actually do? The Pennsylvania attorney general is the state’s top lawyer. The office can bring down drug rings, investigate public corruption and it defends the state when it is sued. The attorney general is also a political figure, working with the governor and the Legislature to reform state drug laws, its ...
· By law, the Attorney General must write a title and an explanation for each initiated measure and initiated amendment. This proposal decreases the time in which the Attorney General must file the title. It eliminates the Attorney General’s deadline for filing an explanation for these types of measures.
Step One - Writing the Proposed Initiative Measure. ... Step Two - Request for Circulating Title and Summary.Step Three – Format of Petitions. ... Step Four – Circulating Petitions and Gathering Signatures.Step Five – Turning in Signatures.
The ballot initiative process gives California citizens a way to propose laws and constitutional amendments without the support of the Governor or the Legislature. A simplified explanation of the initiative process follows. Write the text of the proposed law (initiative draft). Active Measures are proposed initiatives.
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a new policy or specific law, or the referendum may be only advisory.
An initiated constitutional amendment is an amendment to a state's constitution that results from petitioning by a state's citizens. By utilizing this initiative process, citizens can propose and vote on constitutional amendments directly, without need of legislative referral.
Initiative: people have the right to propose a new law. Referendum: a law passed by the legislature can be reference to the people for approval/veto. Recall: the people can petition and vote to have an elected official removed from office.
In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a public vote in the legislature in what is called indirect initiative, or under ...
Through these processes, voters can adopt a change in law (an initiative), disapprove a law passed by the Legislature (a referendum), or remove an elected official from office (a recall).
Step 1: Primaries and Caucuses. People with similar ideas usually belong to the same political party. ... Step 2: National Conventions and General Election. After the primaries and caucuses, each major party, Democrat and Republican, holds a national convention to select a Presidential nominee. ... Step 3: The Electoral College.
(b) "Indirect initiative" is exercise of initiative by the people through a proposition sent to Congress or the local legislative body for action. (c) "Referendum" is the power of the electorate to approve or reject a legislation through an election called for the purpose. It may be of two classes, namely: c.1.
STUDY. initiative. a procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.
the initiative is a process that enables citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot.
The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.
Please note that the comment period applies only to initiatives and will conclude after 30 days.
The Attorney General issues an official title and summary for every proposed initiative submitted in compliance with procedural requirements. To view an official title and summary, select the title and summary link.
Ballot Initiative and Referendum Processes. The powers of initiative and referendum are reserved for the people of Ohio under Article 2, Section 1 of the Ohio Constitution, enabling citizens to place an issue directly before voters on a statewide ballot. Citizens who wish to put a statewide issue on the ballot may do so through one ...
The Attorney General has 10 calendar days to conduct an examination to determine if the summary is a fair and truthful representation of the proposed amendment or statute. If the Attorney General determines the summary is fair and truthful, the Attorney General must certify the petition to the Ballot Board. ( ORC 3519.01 (A) ).
Petitioners may begin any of these processes by first designating a committee of three to five people to serve as representatives of the petition and points of contact in all matters relating to the petition. ( ORC 3519.02 ).
In addition to investigating criminal operations, the attorney general’s office looks into scams targeting seniors, violations of the state’s clean air and water laws and evaluates whether mergers break antitrust laws. On April 26, voters in both parties will have a choice for attorney general. Do the voters prefer a candidate with political ...
The attorney general’s office investigates crimes or schemes that span multiple counties. It also works with federal investigators on cases that span multiple states.
While Preate talked highly of being a district attorney, he felt that leadership experience was attainable from many places.
To become attorney general, you have to be able to practice law in Pennsylvania, be at least 30 years old and have lived in Pennsylvania for the past seven years (exceptions for politicians and public employees). Of the five candidates, there are two politicians and three with extensive experience as prosecutors.
The office works on criminal, civil and consumer protection cases and has 830 employees in offices across the state, according to the latest figures provided by the attorney general’s office. More than half of those employees work on criminal cases.
The attorney general’s office can also supersede a local district attorney if they can prove that the DA did not pursue a case he or she should have. The office is considering if they want to intervene in the case of a February Philadelphia bar fight that may have involved Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy. Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams declined to prosecute the case.
Major cases and important decisions get pushed up the chain of command for the attorney general to have the final word.
In a special election held on October 10, 1911, California became the 10th state to adopt the initiative process. That year, Governor Hiram Johnson began his term by promising to give citizens a tool they could use to adopt laws and constitutional amendments without the support of the Governor or the Legislature. The new Legislature put a package of constitutional amendments on the ballot that placed more control of California politics directly into the hands of the people. This package included the ability to recall elected officials, the right to repeal laws by referendum, and the ability to enact state laws by initiative.
The proposed initiative measure is eligible for the ballot on the date the Secretary of State receives certificates from one or more of the county elections officials showing the petition has been signed by the requisite number of voters. (Elections Code § 9033(a).)
The heading of each section of a proposed initiative petition shall be in substantially the following form and must be printed in 11-point or larger roman boldface type (Elections Code §§ 9008, 9009):
An initiative measure approved by a majority vote takes effect the fifth day after the Secretary of State certifies the election results, unless the initiative measure provides otherwise. (Cal. Const., art. II, § 10(a).) If the provisions of two or more measures approved at the same election conflict, those of the measure receiving the highest affirmative vote shall prevail. (Cal. Const., art. II, § 10(b).) The Legislature may amend or repeal an initiative statute by another statute; however, any proposed statute becomes effective only when approved by the voters, unless the initiative statute permits amendment or repeal without voter approval. (Cal. Const., art. II, § 10(c).)
The official summary date, the date the circulating title and summary is sent to the proponent(s) by the Attorney General, is the date the Secretary of State uses to calculate calendar deadlines provided to the proponent(s) and elections officials. (Elections Code §§ 336, 9004.) No petition may be circulated prior to the official summary date. (Elections Code § 9014.)
Proponents are allowed a maximum of 180 days from the official summary date to circulate petitions, collect signatures, and file petitions with county elections officials. (Elections Code § 9014.) If the petition reaches the number of valid signatures required, it will qualify for the next statewide general election held at least 131 days after it qualifies or at any special statewide election held prior to that general election. (Elections Code § 9016; Cal. Const., art. II, § 8(c).) Should proponent(s) wish to qualify for a particular election, they may want to shorten the 180-day circulation period in order to ensure that the proposed initiative measure is certified at least 131 days before that particular election.
The Secretary of State has prepared this Statewide Initiative Guide, as required by Elections Code section 9018, to provide an understanding of the procedures and requirements for preparing and circulating initiatives, for filing sections of the petition, and describing the procedure of verifying signatures on the petition. This Guide is for general information only and does not have the force and effect of law, regulation, or rule. In case of conflict, the law, regulation, or rule will apply. Interested persons should obtain the most up-to-date information available because of possible changes in law or procedure since the publication of this Guide.
In general, State's Attorneys are elected by the people they represent. Their duties are spelled out in the laws of the local governments they represent, and they're held accountable by the voters for how well they do their jobs and how well their performance matches up with the local politics of the area. But a State's Attorney hardly ever does ...
A State's Attorney, along with a phalanx of Assistant State's Attorneys, prosecutes criminal and civil cases for the people.
Before a trial takes place, the process of discovery takes place, at which the State's Attorney and the defense attorney share information they intend to introduce as evidence at trial. This can include physical or written depositions of witnesses to find out what they know, written questions called interrogatories which the other side must complete, and review of documents and evidence in the case [source: American Bar Association ].
About half the 50 states use grand jury indictments in criminal prosecutions. Grand juries hear cases brought by State's Attorneys, and only the evidence and witnesses presented by the State's Attorney are considered.
Before a trial takes place, the process of discovery takes place, at which the State's Attorney and the defense attorney share information they intend to introduce as evidence at trial.
For example, the Cook County State's Attorney in Chicago has more than 900 lawyers and a total staff of 1,600 employees [source: Cook County State's Attorney's Office ]. Assistant State's Attorneys, also known as Deputy State's Attorneys,are the ones who actually appear in court, file the legal briefs and interview witnesses. The State's Attorney, on the other hand, is in charge of policy, staffing and running the office, and making decisions about certain high-profile cases.
An arraignment in court follows, at which the suspect is formally charged with a crime and enters a plea. Depending on the type and severity of a crime, there can be several pretrial hearings. At some point during these hearings, a plea bargain may be offered to induce the suspect to enter a guilty plea. Advertisement.