On November 28, five Ohio Republican State House members, including the Speaker, introduced HJR 19. It would amend the state constitution to provide that initiatives to amend the state constitution can’t pass unless they receive 60% of the vote. Also the time for collecting the signatures (10% of the last gubernatorial vote) would be cut to 180 days.
This bill is being considered in the 2017-2018 session of the legislature, not the legislature that takes office early next year.
One more attack on Democracy by lame duck by minority rule gerrymander oligarchs.
It is ready pretty tough to qualify an initiative for the Ohio ballot. This bill would make it so difficult that few people would even try, and only the biggest money special interest groups would make it. This bill passing would be a bad thing.
Cut the second *by* in my post.
Ohio is 1 of 18 States with voter petitions for State const amdts.
The amendment would have to be approved by voters.
Under the current constitution, there I’d no limit to the length of time during which signatures are valid. You could potentially have signatures 20 years old. Do you really want a situation like the 27th Amendment.
How long do the minority rule gerrymander HACKS have to pass their statist laws in each USA Congress or State legislature ???
@DR,
The Ohio legislature has annual sessions. I assume any action would need to occur within one session. I’m surprised you advocate for full-time legislatures. If you were stuck in Lansing in December, what kind of mischief would you get into.
Repealing STATISM will be a full time task for the indefinite future.
Top Exec HACKS required to be watched 24/7 —
See Stalin and Hitler machinations.
The MORONS in the 1864-1865 Congress did NOT demand a special session – starting 4 Mar 1865
— when it was obvious that the slave rebels [aka Confeds] would be defeated.
Result- Murder of Prez Lincoln
VP Johnson revived most State regimes
– Black Codes enacted by such new regimes [with same old slavery hacks].
Reconstruction chaos 1865-1877 — esp during 1865-1869 Johnson regime
— still having effects in rotted southern State so-called elections — VA, NC, GA, FL, TX, etc.
—-
Mich Snyder regime — DEAD in Flint Water chaos — multi-months of machinations.
IE — being a legislator is a 24/7 ALERT stand-by job — like cops, fire folks and military.
This AIN”T the BAAAAD good olde days — perhaps 1817-1827 – setup for later Texas/Mexico and Civil WAR I stuff.
@DR,
A legislature that is in session 24×7 will pass laws 24×7.
Why not simply let voters recall executives, or have periodic elections?
WHy do say that the assasination of Abraham Lincoln was due to the failure of Congress to be in session. They met in December in every year during the Civil War. The only early session was in July of 1861.
JR FOR SCOTUS —
WILL FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE FOLKS ?? !!
NORMAL FOLKS WOULD DETECT THAT STUFF AFTER *RESULT* WAS HISTORY RESULTS STUFF AFTER 4 MAR 1865
— NOT CAUSE AND EFFECT RESULTS — AS IN A TORT CASE.
TOOK THE 20TH AMDT TO BRING SOME SANITY TO CONGRESS MEETING TIMES
— DUE TO 1787-1788 CONST. RATIFICATION MACHINATION DATES [SEE ART VII] AND USA REP ELECTIONS IN 1788-1789 AND LENGTH OF 1ST CONGRESS.
IE — SHOULD HAVE BEEN ELECTIONS IN SEP-OCT — MEET IN DEC.
HOW MANY FROZEN NOV. BALLOTS IN ALASKA ???
—
RECALLS IS ONE MORE PART OF SAVE DEMOCRACY REFORMS.
EARLY DEC Congress Meeting stuff also due to HOT summers — about zero air conditioning early on.
Another reform–
legis bodies can meet ANY time – in person, via proxy or electronically
— esp to deal with exec [aka wannabee tyrant] machinations.
@DR,
Had Lincoln survived, presidential reconstruction might have been implemented, with Congress less willing to challenge Lincoln.
The TFMATFTIN election date is somewhat accidental. After the rogue convention in Philadelphia, the convention sought to reconcile with the legitimate government in New York. They had General Washington who was president of the convention (its presiding officer) send a letter to the Continental Congress, requesting that they pass the proposed constitution on to the states (not the legislatures) so that popular conventions could be organized. The Continental Congress would monitor the ratification, and if necessary oversee the inaugaration of the Constitution.
The Continental Congress set three dates – the day for appointing presidential electors, the day for the electors to vote for president, and the day for the newly elected Congress to meet to count the elector votes, and if necessary to choose the President. They also chose the meeting place. Because of wrangling over the meeting place for Congress, with delegations from non-ratifying States abstaining and counting as a no vote on any motion, the schedule slipped, such that the initial meeting of Congress was the first Wednesday in March, which happened to be March 4.
Neither House had a quorum, so they could not count the electoral votes. Eventually, when they had a quorum, they determined that Washington and Adams had been elected. Washington did not reach New York city until June.
Congress decided that two, four, and six year terms were to be construed literally, and thus beginning on March 4 in odd years. But Congress decided that it was not a good idea to have a period without a President, so set up a system where the outgoing session of Congress would count the electoral votes, and if necessary for the House to choose a President, as happened in 1801 and 1829.
They worked out a schedule that would give adequate time for the House to deliberate on a choice, for electoral votes to be transmitted to Congress, for the electors to meet, and for electors to be appointed, be informed of their meeting place, and travel to the meeting place.
This resulted in an appointment time in November of the preceding year. By the time all States but one had established popular election, they set a uniform date for appointment/election. The odd construction of the first Tuesday after the first Monday is to provide a uniform period before the meeting of the electors in December. Congress also provided an alternative date for States that required majority election of electors.
Since the House did not ordinarily meet until December of odd years, there was no reason to really require election of representative at any particular time, or even before the beginning og the term.
Around the beginning of the 20th Century, there was a serious effort to move the beginning of terms to May, which would have reduced the chance of a William Henry Harrison repeat, and permitted a switch to a later election date.
The 20th Amendment accomodated the existing irrational election calendar, and provided a stagger between the conressional and presidential terms. There was no reason Congress could not begin in January and finish its work in June.
We may soon a new amendment providing for a three-year Congress, which would include 18 months in each year.
How many lame duck sessions of the gerrymander Congress before and after the 20th Amdt ???
— which infected the State legislatures and local regimes.
Congress lame ducks after the close 1868 Prez election wrote the 15th Amdt in Jan-Feb 1869
— still being mystified by the SCOTUS morons.
See lame duck machinations NOW in WI, MI, etc.