Attorney General Explanations Released for Four Constitutional Amendments Regarding Campaign Finance and Lobbying Laws

Pat Powers

Attorney General Explanations Released for Four Constitutional Amendments Regarding Campaign Finance and Lobbying Laws

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that Attorney General Explanations for four separate proposed constitutional amendments have been filed with the Secretary of State. For each Amendment, the statement will appear on a petition that will be circulated by the sponsor. If the sponsor obtains a sufficient number of signatures (27,741) by November 6, 2017, as certified by the Secretary of State, the amendment will be placed on the ballot for the November 2018 general election.

  1. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, creating a government accountability board, and changing certain initiative and referendum (VERSION #1)
  2. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, creating a government accountability board, and changing certain initiative and referendum provisions. (VERSION #2)
  3. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, and creating a government accountability board. (VERSION #3)
  4. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, and creating a government accountability board. (VERSION #4)

Under South Dakota law, the Attorney General is responsible for preparing explanations for proposed initiated measures, referred laws, and South Dakota Constitutional Amendments. Specifically, the explanation includes a title, an objective, clear and simple summary of the purpose and effect of the proposed amendment and a description of the legal consequences. The Attorney General Explanation is not a statement either for or against the proposed amendment.

AG Statements for 4 Initiated Constitutional Amendments 6.19.2017 by Pat Powers on Scribd

To date the Attorney General has released Attorney General Explanations for the following:

  1. An initiated measure requiring students to use rooms designated for the same biological sex, and requiring public schools to provide a reasonable accommodation for students whose gender identity is not the same as their biological sex
  2. An initiated measure authorizing a South Dakota-licensed physician to prescribe drugs that a terminally ill patient may take for the purpose of ending life
  3. An initiated measure to legalize marijuana for medical use
  4. An initiated measure to legalize certain amounts of marijuana, drugs made from marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, and to regulate and tax marijuana establishments
  5. An initiated measure requiring people to use certain rooms designated for the same biological sex
  6. An initiated measure to legalize all quantities of marijuana
  7. An amendment to the South Dakota Constitution regarding initiated and referred measures.

 

6 thoughts on “Attorney General Explanations Released for Four Constitutional Amendments Regarding Campaign Finance and Lobbying Laws”

  1. Well, I won’t be signing any of these to get on the ballot. I am especially NOT in favor of changing our Constitution as these four versions of the campaign finance and accountability board are concerned. Just a reminder to all voters to NOT sign anything without reading it first in its entirety, making sure you understand its meaning and ramifications, asking who is sponsoring this, asking where the money is coming from for this, asking if the people are getting paid to collect signatures and by whom, etc. I wish the legislature had made it harder for these things to even get on the ballot in SD.

  2. I note that the AG says that each version will be “likely challenged on constitutional grounds.” Not a surprise, but interesting to note, nonetheless.

    1. How do you challenge a Constitutional amendment on Constitutional grounds, isn’t it changing the constitution and thus becomes law?

  4. We already have a government accountability board. It’s called the voters.

    1. I agree with Cliff and what is up with all these versions, they can’t decide themselves and want to further confuse voters when gathering signatures

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