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Edited by Al Ortiz
California has woken up what has been a steadily stable Tuesday Count, as the California Secretary of State certified signatures for a proposed initiative. The count rose from 59 to 60 ballot measures, with residents in the Golden State gaining a chance to weigh in on automobile insurance prices.
Sponsors of the measure submitted over 800,000 signatures to election officials in mid-November and on January 18, the secretary of state announced that the initiative had qualified for the ballot.[1]
The proposal would allow insurers to offer discounts to new customers who can prove they were continuously covered by any licensed auto insurance company over the previous five years. These discounts are known as "persistency discounts" or "loyalty discounts" and under current California law, insurance companies can only offer them to existing customers.
The initiative, known as Initiative 11-0013, is similar to narrowly defeated Proposition 17, which was on the June 8, 2010 ballot. Unlike Proposition 17, #11-0013 exempts soldiers and those who have been unemployed for 18 months from paying more after a lapse in persistency.
The question joins three other initiatives already on the ballot, for an overall total of five ballot measures certified for a 2012 vote in California.
Last week's Tuesday Count reported that the Alaska petition drive deadline passed, with one initiative filing signatures. Next week, January 30 will mark the petition drive deadline for the state of Maine. Currently, there are six initiatives circulating signatures for the 2012 ballot. One initiative that is gaining plenty of attention is the same-gender marriage question.
That topic has a rich recent history in the state, as the current initiative will look to repeal a 2009 initiative that banned same-gender marriage. In short, the 2012 ballot measure's enactment would mean, for a second time, the legalization of same-gender marriage.
Legislatures seem to be as busy as their initiative sponsor counterparts, as legislative sessions are beginning to hit full stride. This past week, the New Hampshire House of Representatives, on January 18, voted 257-101 in favor of referring a proposed income tax measure to the 2012 ballot.
The proposed measure, filed as Constitutional Amendment Concurrent Resolution 13, would ban new taxes on personal income.[2]
Currently the state of New Hampshire charges some personal income taxes: the gambling winnings tax that assesses a 10 percent levy on winnings of $600 or more and a 5 percent tax on dividends and interest. The measure is similar to a 2014 ballot proposal in Tennessee, which would explicitly prohibit the Tennessee General Assembly from levying, authorizing or permitting any state or local tax on personal income.
The term "personhood" is one that is becoming familiar with most states across the country. Multiple efforts are taking place, with the most recent springing up in the state of Kansas. While most are citizen initatives, this particular measure is being supported by twenty-five state House members. The group planned to introduce the proposed ballot measure during 2012 state legislative session.[3]
A 2/3rds vote in both chambers of the Kansas State Legislature is required to refer an amendment to the ballot. If the legislature approves of the amendment, the measure would appear on the November 2012 general election.
Legislative referrals are expected to be proposed in waves for the 2012 election. In 2010, the last even-numbered election year, 134 legislative referrals were on statewide ballots, with 95 (70.9%) being approved. Going further back, in 2008, 99 legislative referrals found places on statewide ballots.
To find the start and ends dates of state legislative sessions across the country, click here.
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