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Show SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS News 3 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2003 seeks to inform public concerning Bill PPPPIMWP ?&? initiatives 'ft ' & ; Frustrated by the misinfor- mation generated from proponents and opponents of Initiative 1, a Utah state senator has filed a bill seeking to improve the initiative process and insure factual information is available to the public. Sen. Bill Hickman, George, sponsor of SB Amendments, said, Initiative 1 convinced me the time had come to revamp our initiative process and focus on facts rather than finances. Initiative 1 ended up being an extremely expensive initiative endeavor with nearly $5 million spent by both sides. In the end, however, Hickman said if you were to ask the average Utahn what the initiative was really about, very few could provide an informed response. The initiative process is a constitutionally-guaranteed right of R-S- A o s' -- I' it - kx : , v ' y 4 ; ..V- t. said Hickman. However, the fight has sadly shifted from educating the public about whats in their best interest to a financial free-for-al- 4 I f1 4, l. Hickmans primary concerns over the current initiative process include the lack of information available to the public and ' the financial incentives received by initiative backers. SB 28 was drafted to resolve these concerns and to address other worries that have resulted under the current process. The bill includes an interesting option for initiative backers. 4 'C ve the people in Utah, J I & 4, ; f I 1 y & V , f4 V? a 'r wa 4 4 t 4 ? t Ur- f A ji o f Vi- 'frV' y' - Sr .V A v" iH PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, c 'A" U, T' 4 I A'1.'?' $ If legal signatures equal to five percent of all votes cast for all gu- bernatorial candidates in the last regular general election are gathered from each ofthe 29 Utah State Senate districts, the issue will be presented to the Legislature for approval or rejection. However, if legal signatures equal to ten percent of all votes cast for all gubernatorial candidates are obtained in each of the 29 Utah State Senate districts, the issue will be placed on the ballot and subject to the peoples approval or rejection. Hickman said the bill has significant improvements including: identification of paid signatime ture gatherers, a period to qualify the petition to be placed on the ballot, seven public hearings held throughout Utah, payment penalties for those who pay for signatures or receive payment for their signature, and more frequent financial reporting. The seven regional public hearings are required before petitions may even be circulated for signatures, said Hickman. We want to make certain the one-ye- ar 5 II 4t ' THERES EASIER WAY TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS; EXPRESS BUSINESS BANKING When youre building a small business, you dont have time to mess around with multiple applications. Thats why we created Express Business Banking. SBA EXPRESS LOANS Rates as Tow as . See BILL, Page 5 AW f IqV? Express Business Banking gives you all the benefits of small business banking but in a fraction of the time. With one simple application, you can apply for four unique Zions products, including: SBA loans with reduced rates (for a limited time) Flat-fe- e Gold Business Checking Business credit card Overdraft protection. In addition, Zions offers a wide array of other business products and services to help your small business grow. No wonder the U.S. Small Business Association ranked Zions Bank the Number One Small Business-Friend- ly Bank" in Utah. To apply, visit your nearest Zions Bank or zionsbank.com. ZIONS BANK WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN WHO KEEPS US IN BUSINESS. ID VjruNe Me at prune plus ! 7W, Prune rate m 4 25 m of 2703, Rate thncd da bm up lo Sue years. Offer exptm March .)1,2UL MEMBER FDIC |