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Massachusetts Question 3, Eliminate Waivable Fees and Allow Only Optional Fees for Student Groups Referendum (1994)
| Massachusetts Question 3 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Higher education governance |
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| Status |
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| Type Veto referendum |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 3 was on the ballot as a veto referendum in Massachusetts on November 8, 1994. It was defeated.
A “yes” vote supported eliminating the use of waivable fees and allowing only optional fees, added voluntarily by students, to support nonpartisan student organizations that seek to influence state legislation at public colleges and universities. |
A “no” vote opposed eliminating the use of waivable fees and allowing only optional fees, added voluntarily by students, to support nonpartisan student organizations that seek to influence state legislation at public colleges and universities. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 3 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 964,871 | 48.82% | ||
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1,011,474 | 51.18% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 3 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was approved by the House of Representatives on May 28, 1993 by a vote of 112 to 39, and approved by the Senate on June 23, 1993 by a vote of 20 to 19? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
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This law eliminates one of the two ways in which students may authorize fees to be assessed on tuition bills at state-operated colleges and universities to support nonpartisan student organizations that attempt to influence state legislation. The law applies to community and state colleges and the University of Massachusetts. The law takes the place of previous law that allowed a student body, by a majority vote in an official student body referendum, to authorize a "waivable fee," or (at state colleges and the University) an "optional fee," to be collected for such nonpartisan student organizations. Under this law, the boards of trustees at community and state colleges and the University are prohibited from collecting waivable fees and may only collect optional fees for such organizations. A "waivable fee'' is collected when authorized by a majority of those students voting in an official student body referendum. A waivable fee is an amount payable on a tuition bill, appearing as a separately assessed item and accompanied by a statement that the fee is not a charge required to be paid by the student but rather that the student may deduct the charge from the total amount due. The tuition bill also explains the nature of the fee and states that the fee appears on the bill at the request of the student body and does not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the board of trustees. An' 'optional fee" is collected when authorized by a majority of those students voting in an official student body referendum. An optional fee is an amount payable on a tuition bill, appearing as a separately assessed item and accompanied by a statement that the fee is not a charge required to be paid by the student but rather that the student may add the charge to the total amount due. The tuition bill also explains the nature of the fee and states that the fee appears on the bill at the request of the student body and does not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the board of trustees. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. This type of ballot measure is also called statute referendum, popular referendum, people's veto, or citizen's veto. There are 23 states that allow citizens to initiate veto referendums.
In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required for a veto referendum election is equal to 1.5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. To suspend the law prior to the election, the number of signatures required is equal to 2% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Massachusetts also has a distribution requirement that requires no more than 25% of the certified signatures on any petition can come from a single county. Signatures for a veto referendum petition must be submitted no more than 90 days after the governor signs the targeted bill or it is enacted into law.
A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. However, the number of affirmative votes cast for the measure must be greater than 30% of the votes cast in the election.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
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