Because people are not reaching into their wallets to support him, the proponent of a ban on lobbying by public employees says he might give up his effort to place the issue on the 2006 general election ballot.

“It’s not a hot button issue,” said Kenneth Bond of Mesa. He gave up on the same initiative two years ago.

“People that could fund it want to put their money someplace else,” he said.

Mr. Bond’s proposed “No Taxpayer for Lobbyists Act” would prohibit public employees or private lobbyists representing state agencies or employees from any attempt to influence legislation. The employees could respond to legislative requests for information, however, and the Governor’s Office, the state Supreme Court, which oversees all state courts, the state treasurer and the Department of Revenue would be exempt from the ban.

The initiative also would prohibit a public employee from being appointed to a committee in the four years following that employment.

Violation of the act would be a Class one misdemeanor.

13 applications filed

As of Dec. 2, there were 13 initiative applications filed, ranging from raising the minimum wage to banning same-sex marriage to voting by mail. Three of the measures are constitutional amendments requiring 183,917 valid signatures of registered voters to qualify, and 10 require 122,612 signatures.

Were all to make the ballot, proponents would have collected nearly 2 million valid signatures. Petitioners thus face an uphill climb, if not just in obtaining signatures — plus the cost to those who hire signature gatherers — but also for advertising campaigns on both sides of an issue.

Advocates and opponents of tort reform, for example, estimate that campaigns for and against limits on jury awards in medical malpractice cases would cost between $6 million and $12 million. The Arizona Medical Association says it will make a decision this month whether to launch an initiative drive to place medical malpractice reform on the ballot next year.

Voters in the past three general elections have acted on 30 ballot measures, passing 19. Of the 30, 17 were placed on the ballot through legislative referendums, three by the Commission on Salaries for Elective Officers and 10 were citizen initiatives.

Of the citizen initiatives filed since 2000, two failed to gather enough valid signatures, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.

Governor Napolitano says citizen initiatives can be viewed as a signal to lawmakers.

“The number one factor is a frustration with the legislative process,” she said. “It’s not as responsive as it needs to be in a rapidly growing state.”

The No Taxpayer for Lobbyists Act filing is I-04-2006.