COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio House members introduced a proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday that would make it harder to alter the state constitution via a statewide referendum.

House Joint Resolution 19 comes after Ohio legislative leaders lamented what they said was a “cottage industry” set up to put frivolous amendments on the statewide ballot.

Under the resolution, 60 percent of Ohio voters would have to approve a proposed constitutional amendment for it to pass. Currently, any proposed constitutional amendment -- including HJR 19 itself -- needs a simple majority of “yes” votes to take effect.

It would also move up the deadline to submit the hundreds of thousands of petition signatures needed to put a proposed amendment on the ballot. That deadline is now in early July; the resolution would move it to April 1.

In addition, each petition signature would only be valid for 180 days. Right now, there’s no expiration date for signatures.

HJR 19 would also change the way Ohioans can force the state legislature to pass a law.

Right now, a group can force lawmakers to take action on a proposal if it gathers a number of petition signatures equal to 3 percent of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election (that number is 129,553, based on this year’s gubernatorial vote). If lawmakers don’t pass the measure within four months, proponents can gather signatures from another 3 percent of voters to put the proposal on the statewide ballot.

In addition, any law passed in this way couldn’t be altered or repealed by lawmakers for one year after its passage, under the resolution.

Assistant Majority Floor Leader Sarah LaTourette, a Geauga County Republican co-sponsoring the bill, told reporters that lawmakers are trying to “strike a careful balance” with the resolution.

“We are trying to make sure that our constitution is not for sale and making sure that outside groups cannot buy their way into our constitution,” LaTourette said. “But at the same time, we’re trying to make sure that citizens’ voices continue to be heard.”

The proposed amendment was sharply criticized by state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, a Cleveland Democrat.

“This dangerous new restriction on democracy would silence citizens’ voices and further tilt the balance of power to corporate, out of state special interests who have the power and money to change our constitution under this misguided plan,” Sweeney said in a statement.

Even though she’s in House leadership, LaTourette said she’s not sure whether HJR 19 will pass the Ohio General Assembly before session ends next month. If that happens, LaTourette indicated the resolution would likely be reintroduced next year.

However, both House Speaker Ryan Smith and Senate President Larry Obhof said earlier this month that they would like to raise the bar for voter-approved constitutional amendments.

Ohioans have voted on a number of ballot issues in recent years on topics ranging from legalizing recreational marijuana to (most recently) reducing penalties for non-violent drug offenses. Most of these measures have been opposed by legislative Republican leaders.

“I think the Ohio Constitution has been used and abused for decades,” Obhof said during a Nov. 8 speech. “Frankly, I am growing really weary of having to defend against bad ideas that don’t belong in the constitution because there is a cottage industry in Columbus of people who earn a living …by selling, or trying to sell, parts of the Ohio Constitution.”

State Rep. Niraj Antani, a Dayton-area Republican, introduced a resolution last year proposing even tougher requirements for ballot issues, but that measure has stalled. Antani has signed on as a co-sponsor of the new resolution, which was introduced by LaTourette and Democrat Glenn Holmes of Trumbull County.