Section 4. Initiative

Initiative

(1) The people may enact laws by initiative on all matters except appropriations of money and local or special laws.
(2) Initiative petitions must contain the full text of the proposed measure, shall be signed by at least five percent of the qualified electors in each of at least one-half of the counties and the total number of signers must be at least five percent of the total qualified electors of the state. Petitions shall be filed with the secretary of state at least three months prior to the election at which the measure will be voted upon.
(3) The sufficiency of the initiative petition shall not be questioned after the election is held.

Initiative

(1) The people may enact laws by initiative on all matters except appropriations of money and local or special laws.
(2) Initiative petitions must contain the full text of the proposed measure, shall be signed by at least five percent of the qualified electors in each of at least one-third of the legislative representative districts and the total number of signers must be at least five percent of the total qualified electors of the state. Petitions shall be filed with the secretary of state at least three months prior to the election at which the measure will be voted upon.
(3) The sufficiency of the initiative petition shall not be questioned after the election is held.

The legislative authority of the State shall be vested in a Legislative Assembly, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives; but the people reserve to themselves power to propose laws, and to enact or reject the same at the polls, except as to laws relating to appropriations of money, and as except as to laws for the submission of constitutional amendments, and except as to local or special laws, as enumerated in Article V, Section 26, of this Constitution, independent of the Legislative Assembly; and also reserve power at their own option, to approve or reject at the polls any act of the Legislative Assembly, except as to laws necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety, and except as to laws relating to appropriations of money, and except as to laws for the submission of constitutional amendments, and except as to local or special laws, as enumerated in Article V, Section 26, of this Constitution. The first power reserved by the people is the Initiative and eight per cent of the legal voters of the State shall be required to propose any measure by petition; provided, that two-fifths of the whole number of the counties of the State must each furnish as signers of said petition eight per cent of the legal voters in such county, and every such petition shall include the full text of the measure, so proposed. Initiative petitions shall be filed with the Secretary of State, not less than four months before the election at which they are to be voted upon.
The second power is the Referendum, and it may be ordered either by petition signed by five per cent of the legal voters of the State; provided, that two-fifths of the whole number of the counties of the State must each furnish as signers of said petition five per cent of the legal voters in such county, or, by the Legislative Assembly as other Bills are enacted.

Referendum petitions shall be filed with the Secretary of State, not later than six months after the final adjournment of the Session of the Legislative Assembly which passed the Bill on which the Referendum is demanded. The veto power of the Governor shall not extend to measures referred to the people by the Legislative Assembly or by Initiative Referendum petitions.

All elections on measures referred to the people of the State shall be had at the biennial regular general election, except when the Legislative Assembly, by a majority vote, shall order a special election. Any measure referred to the people shall still be in full force and effect unless such petition be signed by fifteen per cent of the legal voters of a majority of the whole number of the counties of the State, in which case the law shall be inoperative until such time as it shall be passed upon at an election, and the result has been determined and declared as provided by law. The whole number of votes cast for Governor at the regular election last preceding the filing of any petition for the Initiative or Referendum, shall be the basis on which the number of the legal petitions and orders for the Initiative and for the Referendum shall be filed with the Secretary of State; and in submitting the same to the people, he, and all other officers, shall be guided by the General laws and the Act submitting this amendment, until legislation shall be especially provided therefor. The enacting clause of every law originated by the Initiative shall be as follows: "Be it enacted by the People of Montana:"

This Section shall not be construed to deprive any member of the Legislative Assembly of the right to introduce any measure.

The legislative power shall be vested in a Senate and House of Representatives, which shall be designated "The Legislative Assembly of the State of Montana."