House approves crackdown on citizen initiatives

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The Arizona House late Thursday night approved a package of measures that would make it harder for citizens to propose their own laws via the initiative process, and make it easier for lawmakers to repeal or change those voter-approved laws.

On a series of party-line votes, Republicans pushed through the House four measures that critics say comprise an all-out assault on voters’ right to propose their own laws, a power grab by the Legislature and a retaliation from the business community to last year’s minimum wage hike.

Republicans lawmakers argued that big, out-of-state business interests have hijacked the initiative process, and the changes are necessary to ensure lawmakers can revisit decisions voters made decades ago that may not make sense today.

Critics are most concerned about a bill that would prohibit initiative backers from paying petition circulators on a per-signature basis, which would make it much more difficult and expensive for citizens to propose their own laws.

That ban would not apply to political candidates, who could continue paying the same petition circulators, on a per-signature basis, to qualify for the ballot.

Read more at AZ Capitol Times

Corrie O'Connor