HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – The Montana Supreme Court has ruled that signature gathering on a potential ballot initiative that would enshrine the right to free public pre-kindergarten in the state constitution can proceed.
In a decision released Thursday, the Court ruled that the Attorney General’s Office had improperly declared the initiative to be legally deficient. The AG’s Office argued that ballot initiatives cannot appropriate money, but the Court said that does not apply to Constitutional Amendments.
The initiative would need to gain over 60,000 signatures by the June 17th deadline in order to qualify for the November ballot. The petitioner asked the Court to extend the deadline, but that request was rejected.
