SALEM, Ore. -- Oregon lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a bill sponsors say will curb abuses of Oregon's century-old initiative system that lets citizens put proposed laws on the ballot.

(kgw.com Graphic)

The bill will allow state election officials to prohibit someone from registering as a paid signature gatherer if they've been convicted of fraud or forgery.

It also will allow $10,000 fines against leaders of initiative campaigns who fail to halt fraud and require campaigns to turn in signatures to the state every month so they could be more closely monitored.

The Senate sent the bill to Gov. Ted Kulongoski on an 18-12 vote after backers said it's needed to cut down on instances of fraud and abuse that have cropped up in recent years as paid petitioners have come to play a dominant role in the initiative system.

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"Oregonians will know that the initiatives on the ballot are there legally," said Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, who pushed for the bill.

But opponents said the bill will make it more difficult for citizen groups to take their ideas directly to the ballot. Others asserted that the measure is politically motivated.

"Let's not kid ourselves -- this is about not liking the outcome of the initiative process," Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli said, referring to various tax-cutting measures that fiscal conservative groups have placed on the ballot over the years.

The lone Democrat to vote 'no,' Sen. Vicki Walker, said some activists will be reluctant to take on chief sponsorship of ballot measures if they know they could face $10,000 fines for violations committed by petitioners.

"We are getting out of control here with trying to reign in the initiative process," the Eugene lawmaker said.

The initiative and referendum system has been used more widely in Oregon than most other states, but in recent years has become the target of increased scrutiny and new constraints.

Democratic legislators and some of the state's top elected officials say the initiative system's reputation has been tainted by well-heeled people using the system to promote their own agendas.

Last year's initiative campaign also was marked by allegations by a union-funded watchdog group that some signatures on initiative petitions circulated by conservative activists were forged.

"Far from crippling the process, this will restore integrity to an important part" of Oregon's political system, Democratic Sen. Diane Rosenbaum of Portland said in support of the bill.