A Washington judge ruled Friday that any measure that appears on the November ballot must include what he called a “financial warning label.”
Republicans have filed lawsuits to block the publication of public investment impact disclosures for three initiatives, one of which is the repeal of the capital gains tax (I-2109), the second Climate Commitment Act (I-2117), and the third would allow state residents to opt out of the state’s long-term care program (I-2124).
But those measures are subject to financial disclosure requirements, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Alison Zipf wrote in her ruling, which follows a recent law that requires the state attorney general to state how actions such as repealing, imposing or changing taxes and fees affect funding.
“When people vote, they have a right to know what financial impact their vote will have on public investments,” she said.
But Thurston County Superior Court Judge Allison Zipf handed down the ruling Friday. The Washington State Legislature Revealed When regulations are enacted that require the submission of a financial impact assessment.
Critics say state lawmakers haven’t been particularly clear about how much of a burden the law the bill seeks to repeal would impose on voters.
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Opponents of the measure, arguing it would have a huge impact on the state’s ability to provide vital services, praised the judge’s decision.
“Their lawsuit had one unforgivable purpose: to hide the truth about the impact of these efforts from voters,” Aaron Ostrom, executive director of the progressive advocacy group FUSE Washington, said in a statement. “They know they will lose if voters understand what these destructive and deceptive efforts actually do.”
Jim Walsh, the proposal’s author, who filed suit with Deanna Martinez to keep the financial impacts off the ballot, said in an email to The Associated Press that he was concerned the “warning labels” would be “weaponized.”
“We’re not opposed to more information,” said Walsh, the state Republican Party chairman and an Aberdeen state assemblyman. “What we’re concerned about is that it’s not unbiased information. It’s partisan rhetoric that will be weaponized to make the initiative look bad. The fight isn’t over, and we’ll continue to maintain that we want unbiased, non-political information.”
In a previous interview with KIRO News Radio, Walsh argued that the Democratic majority that passed the bill went to great lengths to avoid calling the law underlying the initiative a “tax or fee.”
“The governor and attorney general have argued that these are separate things — costs and fees in some cases,” Walsh said. “Okay, I get it. So they’re saying it’s not a tax, but then they’re sneaking in that the fiscal impact statement should apply to the tax. They’re trying to have it both ways.”
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Martinez is Mainstream Republicans in Washington He also serves on the Moses Lake City Council.
A closer look at the ballot initiative
These efforts are just a few of those recognized by the group. Let’s go to WashingtonThe bill, largely funded by hedge fund executive Brian Heywood, garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures in support. Lawmakers approved the bill, which would give police more power to track people in vehicles, proclaim a set of rights for parents of public school students and ban an income tax. Heywood did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment.
Analyst Tim O’Neill said: Washington Community Allianceresponded to the decision by saying that if voters don’t know all the facts, they are less likely to vote and have their opinions heard.
“The Public Investment Impact Disclosure Act is important in building the transparency needed to increase voter trust and participation in our constitutional democracy,” he said in a statement.
Initiative 2117 would repeal the state’s Climate Commitment Act, which aims to limit and reduce pollution while generating revenue for investments that address climate change. The act would raise $1.8 billion in 2023 through quarterly auctions to sell emissions allowances to companies covered by the act.
Initiative 2109 would eliminate taxes on the sale or exchange of stocks, bonds and other high-value assets, exempting the first $262,000.
Initiative 2124 is a measure that allows citizens to Washington Caresthe state’s public long-term care insurance program.
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Interpretation of HB 1876
this is, House Bill 1876HB 1876 is a bill passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in 2022. This is the first time HB 1876 has been applied to an election. (A PDF of the bill analysis is available here.) here.
The law states that “any measure that repeals, levies, or modifies a tax or fee” that results in a net increase or decrease in state revenue must include a financial impact disclosure in the ballot title.
Walsh and Martinez argued that the law doesn’t apply to the three measures and asked the court to bar Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson from preparing financial impact statements for the measures and to bar the Secretary of State from certifying those statements.
But state lawyers argued that under the law, the public has a right to know the financial impact of the plan.
Dr. Stephen Branford, executive director of the nonpartisan children’s advocacy group Children’s Alliance, said the bill would give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires while cutting education budgets, and that the bill to repeal capital gains taxes would push the state’s education system deeper into the red.
“I-2124 would put $8.1 billion in long-term care budgets at risk, put further tax pressure on millennials and Gen Z to pay for the state’s skyrocketing Medicaid costs for older Washingtonians, and increase the cost of care for millions of middle-income families,” he said.
The effort to eliminate the state’s carbon market “will lead to more pollution across Washington, devastate funding for air, water and land protections, and reduce funding for wildfire prevention and transportation investments,” he said.
Contributing Authors: Heather Bosch, Matt Markovich, KIRO News Radio, The Associated Press
