Michigan Bill to Outlaw Paying Petitioners on a Per-Signature Basis

A group of Michigan legislators have introduced HB 5210, which says paid petition circulators can only be paid an hourly wage. The bill says they cannot be paid on a per-signature basis. The bill says nothing about bonus payments to circulators who perform well, but it seems to imply such bonuses would be illegal.

A virtually identical Ohio law was struck down by the Sixth Circuit in 2008, in Citizens for Tax Reform v Deters, 518 F 3d 375. Michigan is in the Sixth Circuit, so if HB 5210 passes, it would almost certainly be declared unconstitutional if anyone sued.

Also introduced was HB 5211, which says circulators are guilty of a crime if they say anything untrue to anyone they approach. That would probably also be struck down.

HB 5212, by the same legislators, requires paid petitioners to wear a badge that says the name of the person paying them to collect signatures. However the bill does not require the name of the circulator to be shown on the badge.

Thanks to John Anthony LaPietra for this news.


Comments

Michigan Bill to Outlaw Paying Petitioners on a Per-Signature Basis — 10 Comments

  1. “Also introduced was HB 5211, which says circulators are guilty of a crime if they say anything untrue to anyone they approach. That would probably also be struck down.”

    How about apply the same standard to politicians? Prosecute them for a crime every time they lie to the public.

    It is really easy to catch a petition circulator if they are lying by reading the petition. If the petition circulator won’t let you read the petition, then don’t sign it.

    “HB 5212, by the same legislators, requires paid petitioners to wear a badge that says the name of the person paying them to collect signatures. However the bill does not require the name of the circulator to be shown on the badge.”

    How about require politicians to wear NASCAR style uniforms that have the names and logos of whoever financed their campaign on it?

  2. The initiative to expand the California legislature to 12000 members would set the salary to $1.

  3. @Jim Riley: I sympathize, but then the only candidates would be people who are already rich, or expect to use their offices to get rich. Better IMO to set the salary at something like a set (fairly low) multiple of the minimum wage or poverty level.

  4. @JALP,
    Under the proposal, assembly members would run in districts with 5000 persons. Roughly 100 of these members would elect a member of a working committee who would meet in Sacramento. They would be paid 120% of the median household income 120%.
    The larger body would vote online on final passage of bills.
    A parallel procedure would be used for the senate.

  5. The worse and worse STATISM in the USA is due to the minority rule AREA gerrymanders since 1776 —

    STONE AGE stuff – some arbitrary AREA has ONE legislator with ONE vote in a legislative body —

    regardless of the votes for the legislator or the total votes in the AREA.

    End the Stone Age of Stone Age gerrymander HACKS in the USA —

    PR and AppV

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