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Edited by Al Ortiz
The continuous stagnancy of the Tuesday Count may be coming to an end sooner rather than later. Today, January 17, is the petition drive deadline for the state of Alaska, and one proposal's supporters are claiming they have enough signatures for ballot consideration.
According to early reports, the measure, a proposed state coastal management program, has well over the estimated 26,000 signatures needed for it to be sent to the legislature for review. The potential state statute was submitted to the Lieutenant Governor's office during the week of October 5, 2011 by Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho and other supporters of the initiative. Specifically, the measure would create the Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program.[1]
Alaska is the only coastal state in the country without a federal coastal management plan, according to reports. Coastal programs are established to guarantee state and local participation in federal decisions on coastal issues that could potentially surface.
The Alaska Sea Party is the main group behind the measure. Since the ballot question is an indirect initiated state statute, supporters must have collected more than 25,875 signatures by the deadline. Then, the Alaska Legislature must review the proposal to decide whether or not to enact it into a law. If the lawmaking body chooses not to do so, the measure would then appear on a 2012 ballot.
Updates will be given as signatures are filed.
The next petition drive deadline is in Maine on January 30, followed by Florida on February 1.
Shifting to legislative referrals, a certified measure in Minnesota faces a challenge from a recently filed bill to block it from the ballot. The same-gender marriage amendment may not end up on the November 2012 ballot after all if the legislature votes to enact the ban. The 2012 ballot measure would forbid same-gender marriage in the state.
The 2012 bill's chief author is Rep. Karen Clark. According to reports, in the Minnesota State Senate the bill is to be represented by Sen. Scott Dibble.
The 2012 legislative session convenes on January 24.
The bill number is HF1885 and the bill text is available here.
Indiana's Legislature, on the other hand, is currently working on getting a measure of its own on the ballot. A "right-to-work" amendment appears to be up for a vote in the legislature, a vote that is needed in order to send the legislative referral to the ballot in 2012. The legislatively-referred state statute would ban unions from collecting mandatory representation fees from workers.
According to reports, the Indiana House of Representatives was set to vote on the measure today. If the measure is passed by the House, it will then be sent to the Indiana State Senate for a similar vote. If passed there, it will be sent to the voters.
The issue of right-to-work in Indiana will be updated as developments continue.
However, in Colorado, instead of right-to-work, right-to-life supporters have their hands full with a newly filed legal challenge. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains filed an appeal with the Colorado Supreme Court, requesting to block the proposed "personhood" measure's supporters from placing it on the ballot. The appeal was filed on January 9, 2012, weeks after the Colorado Title Board approved the language of the measure, and allowing for circulation of initiative petitions.[2]
This is the fourth "personhood" measure with a lawsuit filed against it since 2011. The other three were in Mississippi and Nevada, with two in Nevada for a 2014 proposal. Read more about these lawsuits here.
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