LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- Republican lawmakers in Lansing are quickly trying to increase regulations on the signature gathering process for ballot initiatives.
After a morning committee hearing, the state House passed the bill Wednesday night. It now goes on to the state Senate.
A controversial part of the bill would require that no more than 15 percent of petition signatures come from a single Congressional district.
Representative Jim Lower is a bill sponsor. The Cedar Lake Republican says this is about making sure people from across the state have input.
“People from my district don’t often get asked about these petition circulations and it’s important to get the word out before people are put in a position of having to decide on the ballot. So it just adds more transparency and a longer time for input for statewide voters,” he says.
It would also make it a crime for a person to lie about their status as a paid signature gatherer. The House also passed a bill that would make it a crime to purposefully make a false statement to a signer when gathering signatures.