Bill > S02290

This bill proposes to amend the New York State Constitution to provide electors with the power of initiative and referendum. The key provisions include: 1. Allowing electors to propose laws and constitutional amendments, and to approve or reject statutes or parts of statutes passed by the legislature, through a petition process. 2. Establishing requirements for initiative and referendum petitions, such as the number of signatures needed, the timeline for submitting and challenging petitions, and the process for placing measures on the ballot. 3. Providing that initiative or referendum measures approved by a majority of voters will take effect, and cannot be repealed or amended by the legislature for a period of two years, except through a subsequent initiative or referendum. 4. Reserving initiative and referendum powers for every city, town, village, and county in the state for local matters, with slightly different signature and voting requirements. 5. Specifying that the initiative and referendum process will be self-executing, with the legislature able to prescribe the manner and method of exercising these powers, as long as it is consistent with the constitutional provisions.