Act, Section 3-H
After an initiative qualifies for election, the Electoral Trust shall appoint a Hearing Officer to conduct a public hearing on the initiative. Representatives of the Sponsor and representatives of the legislative body of the relevant jurisdiction shall participate in the hearing in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Electoral Trust. Testimony on the initiative by citizens, proponents, opponents, and experts shall be solicited and their testimony shall be published as the Hearing Record.
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Parrish Report
The public hearing is intended to provide an opportunity for members of the public and invited witnesses to express their views on the merits or shortcomings of an initiative. The Electoral Trust will appoint a professional Hearing Officer who will preside at the hearing, accompanied by the Sponsor and delegates from the legislative body of the relevant government jurisdiction. The hearing will be conducted and supported using technology appropriate to the scope and complexity of the initiative.
The public hearing is one of the features that distinguishes the initiative procedure created by the Democracy Act from those that exist in the states which permit citizen initiatives. Whereas state initiative laws provide no formal opportunity for public dialog on a qualified initiative, the Democracy Act specifies that information representing all sides of an issue shall be systematically collected and made readily available to citizens before they vote.