In The News 
Bills aim to make citizen initiatives more transparent
Several bills now under consideration would make changes to the citizen initiative process in Maine.
Lawmakers Debate Changes to Citizen Initiative Process
Critics of Maine's citizen's initiative ballot process are calling for big changes in the law, including one that would allow voters to retract their signatures from petitions if they felt they were misled when they signed the documents.
Legislators’ bills would increase petition regulation
Two Democratic state legislators from Maine want to place stricter rules on the gathering of signatures on petitions that send ballot questions to voters.
Ballot measure targets Calif. climate-change law
Supporters of an effort to suspend California's landmark greenhouse gas law are now able to collect signatures to get a measure on the statewide ballot, officials said.
Hunting initiative aims for access to wildlife
The struggle for access to public wildlife on private land in Montana may go to the ballot box in the form of a citizen's initiative that would abolish outfitter-sponsored nonresident big game licenses.
Representative pushes constitutional amendment to limit Kansas tax, spending increases
A south-central Kansas Republican is seeking a constitutional amendment to put restrictions on spending and taxing.
Sign a petition, disclose your name?
The Supreme Court will determine whether states can make the names of signers public. It's a close call, but the court should decide in favor of disclosure.
Granholm backs overhaul of Michigan constitution
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has come out strongly in favor of a convention to rewrite Michigan's constitution, saying the state has changed dramatically since the document was put in place more than four decades ago.
Senate bill lays out ethics proposal
The Utah Senate is considering a change to legislative rules that would establish an ethics commission in conjunction with a proposed constitutional amendment.
Oregon voters pass tax increasing measures by big margin
Oregon voters bucked decades of anti-tax and anti-Salem sentiment Tuesday, raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy to prevent further erosion of public schools and other state services.
