Montana Statutes § 13-27-214 Submission and processing of statewide ballot issuesVersion dated Oct. 30, 2024
This is an older version of § 13-27-214 Submission and processing of statewide ballot issues which we archived on October 30, 2024.
Statute Text
(1)
A proponent of a statutory initiative shall submit the text of the proposed initiative to the secretary of state in accordance with [section 5].
(2)
A proponent of a statutory referendum shall submit the text of the proposed referendum to the secretary of state in accordance with [section 6].
(3)
A proponent of a constitutional initiative shall submit the text of the proposed initiative to the secretary of state in accordance with [section 7].
(4)
A proponent of a constitutional convention initiative shall submit the text of the proposed initiative to the secretary of state in accordance with [section 8].
(5)
A constitutional referendum, a constitutional convention referendum, or a legislative referendum passed by the legislature must be processed in accordance with [section 9].
(6)
(a)
A proponent of a statutory initiative, a statutory referendum, a constitutional initiative, or a constitutional convention initiative shall include a nonrefundable filing fee of $3,700 per submitted proposal at the time of submittal to the secretary of state.
(b)
The fee must be deposited in an account to the credit of the secretary of state in accordance with
2-15-405
(4)
. The secretary of state's office shall retain $700, and distribute $2,000 to the legislative services division and $1,000 to the department of justice to help defray the costs of review by those offices.
(c)
A proponent may seek a waiver from the fee required in subsection (6)(a) by demonstrating a financial inability to pay without substantial hardship. If a proponent is granted a fee waiver and later financial disclosure forms required by
13-37-225
show financial ability to pay the fee, the proponent is required to pay the fee at that time. If the proponent still fails to pay the fee, a penalty of up to three times the amount of the submission fee may be assessed.
(d)
The secretary of state may adopt rules to provide for the administration of this subsection (6).
(7)
A statewide initiative filed under the provisions of this chapter may not be filed if it is substantially the same as a measure defeated by the voters in an election within the preceding 4 years.
History
Added by Laws 2023 , Ch. 647 , Sec. 4 , eff. 5/19/2023 .