The Florida Chamber of Commerce is applauding Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing a bill adding new requirements for amending the state’s constitution through ballot initiatives.
“By signing this bill into law, the Florida Supreme Court will now rule on whether or not a proposal violates the U.S. Constitution before it is placed before voters,” the Chamber’s vice president of Public Affairs, Edie Ousley, told the Florida Record.
The bill, SB 1794, also requires that the sponsors of the ballot initiative pay the state’s cost of validating signatures.
“And it gives voters more information about the proposed measure and provides greater transparency about who is behind the effort when casting their vote,” Ousley said.
A coalition of groups opposing the bill, including the League of Women Voters of Florida, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the NAACP Florida Conference, urged DeSantis to veto the bill.
“In the midst of a global health crisis, any limitation to a citizen’s right to direct democracy seems unjust,” said the March 23 letter by the group to the governor. “The disconnect felt between average citizens and their elected officials is often bridged by citizen initiatives. It is unwise to enact legislation that limits that power. Ultimately, this proposal places undue burdens on the citizens of Florida.”
Since 1969, the Florida legislature sponsored 116 of 185 ballot measures, the group wrote, with citizens initiating only 38.
The bill’s sponsor, State Rep. James Grant, said it stops proponents of ballot initiatives from using the constitution “as a toy,” according to media reports.
The legislation increases the number of signatures required for ballot initiatives. It also requires that all proposed constitutional amendments include statements on their potential budgetary impact.
In their letter to DeSantis, the opposing coalition said citizen ballot initiatives are already difficult because of previous restrictions enacted by the legislature.
“The sad truth is that because of the legislature's efforts to restrict the Citizen Initiative process in the past, getting an initiative on the ballot has become a business,” the letter said. “Citizen Initiative costs have been estimated to be $6.5 million to $8 million per issue. This provision, if signed into law, would increase those costs even more.”