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HB 66: MUNICIPAL ORDINANCE - INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM - 1998 Budget/Special Session
Sponsor: Rep. Teense Willford (R-H47, Saratoga)
Wyoming statutes provide for initiative and referendum for incorporated cities and towns with a commission form of government. (Please see above description of SJ 1, 1997, for an explanation of initiative & referendum.)
Current law requires the sponsors of an initiative or referendum petition to collect the signatures of at least 10% of the registered voters in the city or town. An ordinance proposed by a valid initiative petition must either be adopted by the municipality’s governing body within 20 days, or be submitted to the municipal voters at a special election to be held within 20 to 60 days. (The same process is followed for a referendum petition, except the ordinance would be repealed rather than adopted.)
HB 66 proposed to raise the 10% signature requirement to 15%, and to require the petition sponsor(s) to pay for the costs of holding the election if the petition failed. HB 66 provided that the municipality could require the sponsor to post a bond to ensure reimbursement.
HB 66 was precipitated by a successful referendum in Saratoga which repealed a town ordinance banning junk cars.
Proponents of the bill argued that it should be more difficult and costly to get a petition on the ballot, because voters will sign any petition without reading it, and then municipalities get stuck with the cost of an election.
Opponents of HB 66 argued that the bill was intended to discourage participation in the political process, and that charging voters for attempting to pass initiatives or referenda was an infringement on their constitutional rights.
HB 66 failed on third reading (final passage) in the House, 21-37 (2 excused).
The following vote is the third reading (final passage) vote in the House.
A YES vote means the legislator supported making the municipal initiative and referendum process more difficult and costly.
A NO vote means the legislator opposed making the municipal initiative and referendum process more difficult and costly.
|
BIG HORN BASIN LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H24 |
Rep. Peg Shreve (R) |
Yes |
|
H50 |
Rep. Pat Childers (R) |
Yes |
|
H25 |
Rep. Denny Smith (R) |
No |
|
H26 |
Rep. Chas. Hessenthaler (R) |
Yes |
|
H27 |
Rep. Ray Harrison (R) |
No |
|
H28 |
Rep. Mike Baker (R) |
No |
|
CASPER-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H35 |
Rep. Dorothy Perkins (R) |
No |
|
H36 |
Rep. Bruce Hinchey (R) |
Yes |
|
H56 |
Rep. Pat Nagel (R) |
No |
|
H57 |
Rep. Bob Tanner (R) |
No |
|
H37 |
Rep. Rick Tempest (R) |
No |
|
H59 |
Rep. Nancy Berry (D) |
No |
|
H38 |
Rep. Carolyn Paseneaux (R) |
Yes |
|
H58 |
Rep. Ann Robinson (D) |
No |
|
CHEYENNE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H7 |
Rep. Tony Ross (R) |
No |
|
H41 |
Rep. Mac McGraw (D) |
No |
|
H8 |
Rep. Larry Meuli (R) |
No |
|
H42 |
Rep. John Hanes (R) |
Yes |
|
H9 |
Rep. Wayne Johnson (R) |
Yes |
|
H10 |
Rep. Pete Anderson (R) |
Yes |
|
H11 |
Rep. Wayne Reese (D) |
No |
|
H43 |
Rep. Kathryn Sessions (D) |
No |
|
H12 |
Rep. Leo Garcia (D) |
No |
|
H44 |
Rep. Floyd Esquibel (D) |
No |
|
GILLETTE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H31 |
Rep. John Hines (R) |
Yes |
|
H52 |
Rep. George McMurtrey (R) |
Yes |
|
H32 |
Rep. Jeff Wasserburger (R) |
No |
|
H53 |
Rep. Nick Deegan (D) |
No |
|
LANDER/RIVERTON-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H33 |
Rep. Harry Tipton (R) |
No |
|
H54 |
Rep. Cale Case (R) |
No |
|
H34 |
Rep. Frank Philp (R) |
Yes |
|
H55 |
Rep. Eli Bebout (R) |
Yes |
|
NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H1 |
Rep. Marlene Simons (R) |
Yes |
|
H2 |
Rep. Ross Diercks (D) |
Yes |
|
H5 |
Rep. Jim Hageman (R) |
Excused |
|
H6 |
Rep. Jim Anderson (R) |
Yes |
|
H3 |
Rep. Bill Stafford (R) |
Yes |
|
H4 |
Rep. Roger Huckfeldt (R) |
Yes |
|
SHERIDAN-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H29 |
Rep. Rick Badgett (R) |
No |
|
H51 |
Rep. Bruce Burns (R) |
No |
|
H30 |
Rep. Bill Bensel (D) |
No |
|
H40 |
Rep. Douglas Osborn (R) |
No |
|
SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H13 |
Rep. Mike Massie (D) |
No |
|
H45 |
Rep. Wende Barker (D) |
No |
|
H14 |
Rep. Phil Nicholas (R) |
No |
|
H46 |
Rep. Tom Rardin (R) |
No |
|
H15 |
Rep. Tony Rose (R) |
Yes |
|
H47 |
Rep. Teense Willford (R) |
Yes |
|
SOUTHWEST WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H16 |
Rep. Kenilynn Zanetti (D) |
No |
|
H48 |
Rep. Jack Steinbrech (R) |
Yes |
|
H17 |
Rep. Fred Parady (R) |
No |
|
H60 |
Rep. Louise Ryckman (D) |
No |
|
H18 |
Rep. John Eyre (R) |
Yes |
|
H39 |
Rep. Chris Boswell (D) |
No |
|
H19 |
Rep. Peggy Rounds (D) |
No |
|
H49 |
Rep. Ken Decaria (D) |
No |
|
WEST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
H20 |
Rep. Louie Tomassi (R) |
Excused |
|
H21 |
Rep. Randall Luthi (R) |
No |
|
H22 |
Rep. Budd Betts (R) |
No |
|
H23 |
Rep. Clarene Law (R) |
No |
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