Alaska State Representatives Kyle Johansen (R-Ketchikan) and Charisse Millett (R-Anchorage) have introduced HB 36. It would make it illegal for initiative circulators to be paid on a per-signature basis. Also it would make it illegal for initiative circulators to circulate more than one initiative at once.
Wasn’t a similar law in Ohio struck down as being unconstitutional by a federal Court of Appeals?
Yes. And when Ohio asked the US Supreme Court to take the case, the US Supreme Court refused.
What are the chances of this passing?
Thanks for the heads up Richard; without this site I may have been unaware of this restrictive bill in my own home state. I have contacted my legislative delegation to voice my outrage on the introduction of this bill and will reach out to others in my region of Alaska who know myself and my family in order to encourage them to do the same.
Once again I forgot about that clause in the First Amendment that says you can have only one opinion about one subject at a time, therefore, you can only circulate one petition at a time.
What’s with this GOP hatred for initiatives?
Notice that this time it is the Republicans who are trying to destroy the initiative process.
States want to keep their power and not give in to its citizens. States like Montana had the Dems and Repubs go after the process after citizens started going after the spending process of the state.