New law restricts citizens’ initiatives

Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc.  Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into law that makes it harder for citizens to initiate petitions to amend the state constitution. House Bill 1205, which the governor signed on May 2, imposes additional regulations and harsher penalties for wrongdoers. Among the new requirements implemented by the bill: Petition sponsors must affirm that no felons handled the petition, unless the felons’ rights were restored. Sponsors must also affirm that each person who collected a petition is a U.S. citizen. Sponsors can be fined $50,000 for violation of either of the new requirements. Petition sponsors must submit the ballot title, summary and