Summaries of the eight ballot measures being circulated or prepared for North Dakota's November general election ballot:
BUDGET GROWTH: Says annual state and local government spending increases may not rise beyond the Midwestern inflation rate unless 60 percent of the voters approve higher spending.
CHILD CUSTODY: Orders judges to award divorcing couples joint legal and physical custody of children from their marriage if one of the parents requests it, and if neither parent is proved to be a danger to the children.
FENCED HUNTING: Outlaws the operation of a fenced game preserve in which visitors pay for the right to shoot deer, elk or other big-game animals.
INCOME TAXES: Cuts North Dakota's individual income tax rates by 50 percent and corporate income tax rates by 15 percent.
PIPELINE ROUTE: Bars construction of new oil pipelines, or the conversion of existing pipelines to carry oil, if the pipeline is within six miles of a lake or aquifer that supplies water to more than 5,000 people. Pipelines needed to develop North Dakota oil wells are exempted.
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: Requires North Dakota's superintendent of public instruction to be a licensed teacher and spend at least 40 hours each year teaching in a classroom.
WORKERS COMPENSATION: Gives the governor authority to hire North Dakota's workers compensation director, provides civil service protection to Workforce Safety and Insurance employees, and eliminates WSI's ability to change the rulings of administrative law judges who review the agency's decisions.
TOBACCO PREVENTION: Sets aside part of the revenues from a North Dakota lawsuit settlement against tobacco companies to finance programs that discourage tobacco use.
SIGNATURE REQUIREMENTS: The budget growth and school superintendent measures are constitutional amendments. They need signatures from at least 25,688 eligible voters to be put on the ballot. The other six measures are proposed changes to state law, and require at least 12,844 signatures each.
Secretary of State Al Jaeger has yet to review the pipeline route initiative, a process that normally takes less than two weeks. The other seven ballot measures have been approved for circulation.
TEXT OF MEASURES: The text of the seven approved measures may be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/yskge8.Associated Press
