§ 32-1405. Initiative and referendum petitions; sponsors; filing required; Revisor of Statutes; Secretary of State; duties.
AI-assisted research summary: Before collecting signatures, the petition filing papers must be submitted to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State and Revisor of Statutes then review the filing, and the sponsor must later submit final language and a sample copy before circulation.
(1) Prior to obtaining any signatures on an initiative or referendum petition, a statement of the object of the petition and the text of the measure shall be filed with the Secretary of State together with a sworn statement containing the names and street addresses of every person, corporation, or association sponsoring the petition. Sponsors of the petition may be added or removed with the unanimous written consent of the original sponsor or sponsors at any time prior to or on the day the petition is filed for verification with the Secretary of State. (2) Upon receipt of the filing, the Secretary of State shall transmit the text of the proposed measure to the Revisor of Statutes. The Revisor of Statutes shall review the proposed measure and suggest changes as to form and draftsmanship. The revisor shall complete the review within ten business days after receipt from the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall provide the results of the review and suggested changes to the sponsor but shall otherwise keep the proposed measure, the review, and the sworn statement confidential for five days after receipt of the review by the sponsor. The Secretary of State shall then maintain the proposed measure, the opinion, and the sworn statement as public information and as a part of the official record of the initiative. The sponsor may make any changes recommended by the Revisor of Statutes and shall submit final language to the Secretary of State. If the final language is addressing a subject that is substantially different in form or substance from the initial filing or the changes recommended by the Revisor of Statutes, the Secretary of State shall reject it. (3) The Secretary of State shall prepare the form of the petition from the final language filed by the sponsor and shall provide a copy of the form of the petition to the sponsor within five business days after receipt of the final language of the proposed measure. The sponsor shall print the petitions to be circulated from the forms provided. Prior to circulation, the sponsor shall file a sample copy of the petition to be circulated with the Secretary of State. History: Laws 1994, LB 76, § 387; Laws 1995, LB 337, § 5; Laws 2019, LB411, § 62; Laws 2022, LB843, § 47; Laws 2024, LB287, § 59.