The proposed bill, S. 95, aims to establish a formal procedure for the enactment or repeal of laws in South Carolina through initiative petitions and referendums by amending the Constitution. It introduces Section 1B to Article III, which sets forth the requirements for initiating a petition, including a minimum of twelve percent of the total votes for Governor in the last election and a twelve-month timeframe for signature collection. The bill also mandates that initiatives specify the amount and source of revenue needed for implementation and outlines subjects that cannot be addressed through these petitions, such as creating courts or altering judicial qualifications. Additionally, initiatives must be filed with each branch of the General Assembly, which can adopt, amend, or reject them by majority vote.

Moreover, the bill proposes to add Section 4 to Article XVI, allowing the public to propose constitutional amendments through a similar initiative process, requiring at least fifteen percent of the votes for Governor for signature collection. The General Assembly is responsible for creating laws to facilitate this process, and if no action is taken within four months, the initiative must be placed on the ballot for the next general election. The amendment also limits the submission of initiatives to five per election and ensures that any initiative approved by voters cannot be repealed or amended without a special vote. The proposed amendment will be presented to qualified electors at the next general election, with a clear question on the ballot for voter decision.