NOMINATING PETITIONS OR FEE - S.B. 385 (S-1)-388 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 385 (Substitute S-1 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Senate Bill 386 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Senate Bill 387 (Substitute S-2 as reported)
Senate Bill 388 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Ken Sikkema (Senate Bill 385)
Senator Thaddeus G. McCotter (Senate Bill 386)
Senator Bev Hammerstrom (Senate Bills 387 & 388)
Committee: Education (S.B. 385)
Government Operations (S.B. 386-388)
CONTENT
The bills would amend various statutes to prescribe the number of signatures required on nominating petitions for school board, county commission, and library board candidates, based on the population of the district. The bills also would allow candidates to pay a $100 nonrefundable filing fee instead of filing nominating petitions (which presently is allowed for county commissioner candidates).
Under Senate Bills 385 (S-1), 387 (S-2), and 388 (S-1), petitions would have to be signed by at least six but not more than 20 electors, if the population of the district or local unit involved were under 10,000. If the population were 10,000 or more, petitions would have to be signed by at least 40 but not more than 100 electors. Under Senate Bill 386 (S-1), a nominating petition would have to be signed by a number of electors as determined under Section 544f of the Michigan Election Law (which prescribes the number of signatures required for partisan and nonpartisan petitions based on the population of the district involved).
Senate Bill 385 (S-1) would amend the Revised School Code; Senate Bill 386 (S-1) would amend Public Act 261 of 1966 (which provides for county boards of commissioners); Senate Bill 387 (S-2) would amend the District Library Establishment Act; and Senate Bill 388 (S-1) would amend Public Act 164 of 1877 (which provides for public libraries). The bills would take effect on January 1, 2003.
MCL 380.614 (S.B. 385) - Legislative Analyst: G. Towne
46.411 (S.B. 386)
397.181 (S.B. 387)
397.211 (S.B. 388)
FISCAL IMPACT
State. The bills would have no fiscal impact on the State.
Local. The bills would result in a reduction in the number of signatures required on a petition and allow a potential candidate to avoid filing a petition altogether by paying a $100 filing fee. The lower signature requirements for petitions also could encourage additional candidates and increase the number of petitions requiring signature verification. The burden on the office verifying the signatures to determine the eligibility of a candidate could be affected; however, the magnitude of these effects is indeterminate.
Date Completed: 11-1-01 - Fiscal Analyst: J. Runnels Floor\sb385 - Bill Analysis @ http://www.senate.state.mi.us/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.