LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has rejected a proposed ballot initiative that would require government agencies to verify that everybody seeking public benefits in Arkansas is a legal resident of the United States.
McDaniel on Wednesday rejected the proposal by a group calling itself Secure Arkansas, that also would require those older than 13 to sign an oath saying they live legally in the country. The group says those who falsely fill out an affidavit could face perjury charges.
McDaniel wrote that he was rejecting the proposal because of ambiguities in its text and that the group can submit a rewritten proposal. If approved by McDaniel, supporters could begin gathering the required 61,974 signatures needed to place it before voters in November.
Secure Arkansas chairwoman Jeannie Burlsworth of Bryant said the group planned to revise and resubmit the ballot measure, but said she did not know when.
