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PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVII OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1895, BY ADDING SECTION 15 TO PERMIT THE ENACTMENT OF LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS BY INITIATIVE PETITION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. It is proposed that Article XVII of the Constitution of this State be amended by adding:
"Section 15. (A) In addition to the provisions of Article III of this Constitution, relating to the enactment of laws, there is reserved in the people the power to enact laws by means of initiative petition.
(B) The electors of this State may by initiative propose any law, except a law appropriating money or authorizing the levy of taxes, or propose the repeal of any law. Any initiative proposing a law or the repeal of a law may be submitted to the General Assembly by a petition signed by qualified electors of the State equal in number to at least fifteen percent of the qualified registered electors in this State. The State Election Commission must certify that the initiative and petition is in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(C) If the law proposed by initiative petition is not enacted or is enacted in a substantially different form than set forth in the petition, or if a law is not repealed as presented in a petition within two years after being presented to the General Assembly, the enactment or repeal of the law set forth in the petition shall be submitted to the electors of the State at the next general election for representatives."
SECTION 2. The proposed amendment must be submitted to the qualified electors at the next general election for representatives. Ballots must be provided at the various voting precincts with the following words printed or written on the ballot:
"Must Article XVII of the Constitution of this State be amended by adding a new section to provide for a process through which the electors of this State may petition the General Assembly to enact or repeal a law and further provide that if the General Assembly does not enact the law, the law is enacted in a substantially different form than set forth in the petition, or the law is not repealed as presented in a petition within two years after being presented to the General Assembly, then the question of whether the law should be enacted, or repealed, as the case may be, shall be submitted to the electors of the State at the next general election for representatives?
Those voting in favor of the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'Yes', and those voting against the question shall deposit a ballot with a check or cross mark in the square after the word 'No'."
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