00HOUSE BILL NO. 45                                                                                                     
01 "An Act relating to initiative and referendum petitions; and providing for an                                           
02 effective date."                                                                                                        
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04    * Section 1.  AS 15.45.140 is amended to read:                                                                     
05  Sec. 15.45.140.  Filing of petition.   (a)  The sponsors must file the initiative                                 
06 petition within one year from the time the sponsors received notice from the lieutenant                                 
07 governor that the petitions were ready for delivery to them .  The  [, AND THE]                                       
08 petition  may be filed with the lieutenant governor only if it meets all of the                                        
09 following requirements:  it is  [MUST BE] signed by qualified voters                                                   
10    (1)   equal in number to  15  [10] percent of those who voted in the                                            
11 preceding general election ;                                                                                          
12    (2)   [AND] resident in at least  three-fourths  [TWO-THIRDS] of the                                            
13  house  [ELECTION] districts of the state ; and                                                                      
14   (3)  who, in each of the house districts described in (2) of this                                                    

01 subsection, are equal in number to at least 15 percent of those who voted in the                                        
02 preceding general election in the house district .                                                                     
03   (b)   If the petition is not filed within the one year period provided for in  (a)                                
04 of  this section, the petition has no force or effect.                                                                 
05    * Sec. 2.  AS 15.45.370 is amended to read:                                                                        
06  Sec. 15.45.370.  Filing of petition.  The sponsors may file the petition                                            
07    (1)   only within 90 days after the adjournment of the legislative session                                        
08 at which the act was passed ;  and                                                                                    
09    (2)   only if  it meets all of the following requirements:  it is  signed by                                    
10 qualified voters                                                                                                        
11    (A)   equal in number to  15  [10] percent of those who voted in                                               
12 the preceding general election ;                                                                                      
13    (B)   [AND] resident in at least  three-fourths  [TWO-THIRDS]                                                  
14 of the election districts of the state ; and                                                                           
15   (C)  who, in each of the house districts described in (B) of                                                        
16 this paragraph, are equal in number to at least 15 percent of those who                                                 
17 voted in the preceding general election in the house district .                                                        
18    * Sec. 3.  CONDITIONAL EFFECT OF ACT.  This Act takes effect only if a constitutional                              
19 amendment increasing the required percentage for initiative and referendum petitions to 15                              
20 percent of those who voted in the preceding general election and requiring signatures from 15                           
21 percent of the qualified voters who voted in the district in the preceding general election in                          
22 each of three-fourths of the house districts of the state is passed by the legislature and                              
23 approved by the voters at the 2000 general election.                                                                    
24    * Sec. 4.  If this Act takes effect under sec. 3 of this Act, it takes effect on the effective                     
25 date of the amendment described in sec. 3 of this Act.