HB 1205 creates unworkable hurdles to the citizen-led amendment process, rigging the system in favor of politicians and their wealthy donors
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida House of Representatives passed House Bill 1205 by Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka by a 76-31 vote yesterday afternoon. HB 1205 creates major financial and legal barriers to the citizen-led amendment process, making it inaccessible for everyday Floridians. HB 1205 now heads to the Florida Senate, which is also considering a similar bill, SB 7016.
Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, responded with the following:
“For decades, everyday Floridians have used citizen-led amendments to pass policies that improve our lives – from classroom sizes to voting rights restoration. Our process is already the strictest in the nation, demanding nearly one million verified signatures and a 60 percent supermajority from voters to pass.
“As we the people have succeeded in passing laws that serve our interests, Florida politicians have increased their attacks on our ability to engage in our democracy directly. Their goal in taking power from the people is to consolidate that power for themselves.
“When more than 57% of voters demanded an end to government interference in private medical decisions including abortion care this past November, the politicians who do not want to heed the will of the people came up with HB 1205 and SB 7016 to take away the people’s power to propose amendments to the state constitution for good.
“These bills would add unreasonable bureaucratic hurdles, set unrealistic deadlines to submit petitions, ban important quality control measures, and threaten volunteers who collect petition signatures with felony charges and massive fines. This means only oligarchs, corporations, and out-of-touch politicians who want to silence the people would have easy access to our political process, and the rest of us would be denied the promise of our Constitution, which unequivocally declares, ‘All political power is inherent in the people.’ In a truly free Florida, that power would be respected, and Floridians would not be shut out of the opportunity to pass policies that preserve our liberties and strengthen our communities.”
