On Friday, Stockton-area farmer Dean Cortopassi filed a request with the Attorney General’s office for a title and summary for a proposed initiative constitutional amendment titled the “No Blank Checks Initiative.”
Currently, state bonds only need to be approved by voters if the bonds are to repaid out of the state’s general revenues. Mr. Cortopassi’s initiative would greatly expand the requirement for voter approval, extending it to bonds that would be repaid by specific charges imposed on residents, such as taxes, fees, rates, tolls, or rents.
“The politicians should not be allowed to write themselves blank checks. Voters must have a say in all major state bond debt spending decisions because voters are the ones who ultimately pay the bill,” the petition states.
The measure has been filed with the Attorney General for preparation of the title and summary, a process expected to take approximately 60 days. The measure is then submitted to the Secretary of State, who sets calendar deadlines. Proponents of the measure will then have 150 days to collect more than 800,000 signatures to qualify the constitutional amendment for the ballot.
You can read the initiative and follow its progress here: Initiative and Referendum Proposals Pending Review By Attorney General
