Print Version (PDF)

Part-Time Legislature Initiative Enters Circulation

Part-Time Legislature. Two-Year State
Budget. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

SACRAMENTO - Secretary of State Debra Bowen today announced that the proponents of a new initiative may begin collecting petition signatures for their measure.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponents and to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponents and to county elections officials, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

PART-TIME LEGISLATURE. TWO-YEAR STATE BUDGET. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Provides that Legislature shall convene regular sessions for a period of no more than 30 days starting each January and no more than 60 days starting each May, with up to five more days to reconsider bills vetoed by the Governor. Establishes two-year state budget cycle. Devotes regular sessions in odd-numbered years to state budget matters. Devotes regular sessions in even-numbered years to non-state budget matters. Limits special sessions to 15 days. Sets legislators’ salary at $1,500 per month and limits employment during and after their terms in office. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Reduction in state legislative expenses for Member salaries, travel and living expenses, and staff costs— potentially in the tens of millions of dollars per year. Actual reduction would depend on future actions of the Legislature and the Governor. Reduced state spending or increased state revenues in some years. Over time, the net fiscal effect of this provision is unknown and would depend on future actions of the Legislature, Governor, State Treasurer, and State Controller. (11-0095.)

The Secretary of State's tracking number for this measure is 1566 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 11-0095.

The proponents for this measure, Shannon Grove and Ted Costa, must collect signatures of 807,615 registered voters – the number equal to eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2010 gubernatorial election – in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponents have 150 days to circulate petitions for this measure, meaning the signatures must be collected by July 2, 2012.

The initiative proponents can be reached at (661) 327-4141.

To sign up for regular ballot measure updates via email, RSS feed, or Twitter, go to www.sos.ca.gov/multimedia.

###