A proposed constitutional amendment to limit the growth of state and local government spending is ready for circulation, four months after a separate proposal was withdrawn, Secretary of State Al Jaeger said.

The ballot measure needs at least 25,688 signatures to be placed on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. The signatures must be turned in to the secretary of state's office by Aug. 5 to meet the ballot deadline, Jaeger said Tuesday.

A majority of voters would have to approve the amendment to make it part of the North Dakota Constitution.

The budget measure would limit annual spending increases for North Dakota's state government and political subdivisions, which include cities, counties, school districts and park districts.

Spending rises would be capped at the rate of increase in a Midwestern consumer price index that is calculated by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index measures price changes in household goods and services.

Spending growth could exceed the inflation rate, but only if the larger budget won the approval of at least 60 percent of voters in the next general election. From December 2006 to December 2007, the "Midwest Urban" consumer price index rose by 3.8 percent.

An earlier version of the amendment was submitted to Jaeger in September, but was withdrawn and reworked after questions arose about whether its restrictions applied to local governments.

The proposal is the sixth initiative petition being circulated in advance of this year's elections.

The others would cut North Dakota's income taxes on individuals and corporations, prohibit fenced hunting preserves for big game, encourage joint legal and physical custody of children in divorce cases, require the state superintendent of public instruction to be a licensed teacher and spend at least 40 hours annually teaching classes, and allow the governor to hire the director of North Dakota's Workforce Safety and Insurance agency.