OFFICIAL BALLOT LANGUAGE FOR
INITIATIVE PETITION BALLOT MEASURES
ON THE 1998 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT

Updated August 21, 1998

BALLOT MEASURE NO. 5
INITIATIVE NO. 97BILL
AN ACT PROHIBITING BILLBOARDS
The bill states findings and intent that Alaska be forever free of billboards. It defines billboards as any signs or forms of outdoor advertising not allowed by law. The bill also repeals a law recently passed by the legislature which allows a new class of road signs outside of the right-of-way, visible from highways, off-site from where businesses are located. Those tourism directional signs have a standard format and size of 90 by 18 inches. The bill changes the penalty from a violation back to a misdemeanor for those who break the laws on outdoor advertising near state roads.

Should this initiative become law?

BALLOT MEASURE NO. 6
INITIATIVE NO. 97ENGL
REQUIRING GOVERNMENT TO USE ENGLISH
This bill requires the state to use English in all government functions and actions. State records must be in English. "The state" means the legislature, all state agencies, local governments, school districts, public corporations and the university. Those entities may use non-English languages for international trade, emergencies, teaching languages, court suits, criminal inquiries, for elected officials to talk to constituents or to comply with federal law. Costs of non-English records must be identified. Persons who speak only English may not be denied state jobs or services. The bill does not affect private sector use of non-English languages.

Should this initiative become law?

BALLOT MEASURE NO. 7
INITIATIVE NO. 97TERM
TERM LIMITS PLEDGE FOR CANDIDATES
This bill would require the lieutenant governor to allow candidates for the United States Congress or Alaska Legislature to make a term limits pledge. A candidate would pledge to limit service to three terms in the U.S. House and two in the Senate or to eight out of 16 years in the Alaska Legislature. The bill would require printing "signed term limits pledge" next to the pledging candidate's name on the ballot and other state election material. It would similarly require printing "broke term limits pledge" if a pledging candidate seeks a term exceeding the term limits in the pledge.

Should this initiative become law?

BALLOT MEASURE NO. 8
INITIATIVE NO. 97PSDM
BILL ALLOWING MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA
This bill would allow patients to use marijuana for certain medical purposes. A doctor must find that the patient has a debilitating medical condition that might benefit from marijuana. An eligible minor could use medical marijuana only under the consent and control of a parent. There would be limits on how much medical marijuana a patient could possess. Patients and their primary care-givers who comply with this law would not be guilty of a crime. The state would create a confidential registry of patients who may use medical marijuana. Non-medical use of marijuana would still be a crime.

Should this initiative become law?

BALLOT MEASURE NO. 9
INITIATIVE NO. 97TRAP
BILL PROHIBITING TRAPPING WOLVES WITH SNARES
This bill would prohibit a person from using a snare with the intent of trapping a wolf. It would also prohibit a person from possessing, buying, selling, or offering to sell the skin of a wolf known by the person to have been caught with a snare. Breaking the law would be a Class A misdemeanor.

Should this initiative become law?

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