BATINICK PROPOSES THE “PEOPLES AMENDMENT FOR ILLINOIS”

May 21, 2014 – Plainfield, IL

Mark Batinick, Candidate for State Representative in the 97th District is proposing an amendment to the Illinois State Constitution that would empower the citizens of Illinois.

“I’ve always been dismayed by the lack of influence the citizens of Illinois have. Every national election day we hear about citizen’s ballot initiatives in other states. We rarely hear about those in Illinois.” – Batinick stated.

The main reason for this is the State Supreme Court’s strict interpretation of a sentence in Article 14 section 3 of the State Constitution. It states, “Amendments shall be limited to structural and procedural subjects contained in Article IV.” This sentence has been used to stop several ballot initiatives. While many people have complained about this, Batinick has actually found a solution. The People’s Amendment would resolve this problem.

“While the citizens of Illinois have little power in initiating change, the General Assembly has full ability. The General Assembly needs to place on the ballot a constitutional amendment question that would address the issue. They essentially can give the citizens the right to vote themselves more power.”

The Amendment below would change Article 14, Section 3.
Amendment by Citizen Initiative (The People’s Amendment)

Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by a petition
signed by a number of electors equal in number to at least five
percent of the total votes cast for candidates for Governor in
the preceding gubernatorial election. A petition shall contain the
text of the proposed amendment and the date of the general
election at which the proposed amendment is to be submitted,
shall have been signed by the petitioning electors not more than
twenty-four months preceding that general election and shall be
filed with the Secretary of State at least six months before that
general election. The procedure for determining the validity and
sufficiency of a petition shall be provided by law but a petition shall not
be invalidated without either an insufficient number of signatures or
clear and convincing evidence of fraud, forgery or deception. If the
petition is valid and sufficient, the proposed amendment shall be
submitted to the electors at that general election and shall become
effective if approved by three-fifths of those voting on the amendment.

This amendment addresses three items:

1. It removes the sentence “Amendments shall be limited to structural and procedural subjects contained in Article IV.” This allows the citizens to initiate change in any area of the constitution. Specifically the phrase “structural and procedural” has been used to remove previous amendment attempts that appeared to have met all requirements.

2. It lowers the signature requirement from 8% of the previous Governor’s election to 5%. The current requirement is much too onerous.

3. It requires a strict super-majority to pass an amendment. The State Constitution should not be changed easily

“I have already presented my proposal to many elected officials and leaders and have found overwhelming support for this proposal. If elected, I intend to work hard to get this common-sense idea passed into law” said Batinick. Constituents can join the movement and sign the “People’s Amendment for Illinois” Petition at www.illinois180.com

###

The 97th district includes the towns of Oswego, Plainfield and Shorewood.

Mark Batinick is an entrepreneur and small business owner in commercial real estate. Mark understands that high taxes and overregulation stifles the ability to produce jobs and opportunities for the people. Mark is now running for State Representative in Illinois’ 97th district as a Republican advocating that State government becomes more accountable with our tax dollars, more responsible in it’s spending, and more effective in its oversight. Mark graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Business Education. Mark, his wife Ellen, and their five children live in Plainfield, Illinois.