Will 5th Time Around be the Charm for Washington State Voters?
We’ll soon know if lawmakers will listen to voters on taxes as the Legislature convenes Jan. 14
Updated Jan. 12, 2013
In terms of time management and aggravation, people in Seattle and throughout Washington dislike having to perform the same chore twice. Especially, when the chore is necessitated by politicians’ disingenuous behavior.
But when it comes to taxes, many lawmakers in the Washington State Legislature mistakenly think it’s OK to annoy voters on the same issue over and over again.
Five times in the past two decades, voters have passed initiatives directing the Legislature not to raise taxes without a two-thirds majority or voter approval. The initiatives require that lawmakers wait two years before voting to circumvent the will of the people.
So, just like clockwork — as soon as the two-year period expires – guess what? The merry-go-round ride starts again, as lawmakers proceed to violate the will of the people. Repeatedly, voters complain they don’t enjoy the rides and have passed tax initiatives.
Voters most-recently spoke on Election Day in 2012 when they easily passed I-1185. In approving the initiative, voters also told the legislators to rescind their two tax hikes passed in the 2012 session.
On many occasions over the years, lawmakers haven’t been transparent in their behavior. Fortunately, the state’s leading think tank – the Washington Policy Center (WPC) – uses terrific investigative techniques to inform the electorate with excellent analyses about lawmakers’ chicanery.
“Just in case a translation for these votes is really needed, lawmakers should focus their attention on balancing the 2013-15 without tax increases,” blogged Jason Mercier, WPC’s director, Center for Government Reform. His piece was entitled, “Olympia: Can you hear taxpayers now?”
He also wrote:
“Since I-1185 was anything but new policy (most recently passed by 64% of the voters in 2010) our policy analysis advised voters to treat the decision as an opportunity to clearly frame the budget debate and send a message to Olympia that voters weren’t kidding the last four times they adopted this requirement with the hope that our elected officials will feel some obligation to their constituents to end this debate once and for all by referring the question to voters in the form of a constitutional amendment.”
Prior to the 2012 election, WPC queried 128 candidates and lawmakers:
“If Initiative 1185 is adopted, would you vote to allow the people of Washington to have the opportunity to vote on a state constitution amendment to require a supermajority vote in the legislature to raise taxes?”
Unfortunately, only 109 of them – 52 percent – responded. See their replies here. (WPC will update the survey to show which of them were elected.)
Recently, in a Tacoma News Tribune op-ed, Mr. Mercier also called for even-more legislative action:
“A constitutional amendment would provide the public and businesses with predictability about whether this tax protection will exist from year to year and whether or not the four-time (pending fifth) approval of the voters for this policy was a fluke or actually reflects their consistent and ongoing desire for lawmakers to build a strong public consensus on the need for any proposed tax increase.
“With voters and lawmakers repeatedly enacting the supermajority vote for taxes requirement over the past 20 years, what could be more representative of the public will than allowing a vote of the people on a constitutional amendment to help end this debate once and for all?” he asked.
Good question.
From the Coach’s Corner, WPC has often been a great source of information for this portal – here’s a handful of articles:
- Do Survey Results Mean More Dysfunction by Washington State Politicians?
- Why Small Business Vows to Continue the Healthcare Fight
- WPC Hits Target, but Will Washington State Legislature?
- What Do Small Business Owners Need from Washington State Policymakers?
“The people are hungry: It is because those in authority eat up too much in taxes.”
-Lao Tzu
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
Why Small Business Vows to Continue the Healthcare Fight
Plus, recommendations for business from a major accounting firm
Updated – Sept. 29, 2012
More than half the states, 26, and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) lost in the U.S. Supreme Court case regarding the individual mandate on healthcare. But the mom-and-pop business owners’ and larger companies’ fight will continue against the jobs-killing Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
“While we are certainly disappointed, NFIB respects the decision to uphold the individual mandate by the Supreme Court,” says Dan Danner, President and CEO of the NFIB. “Clearly this mandate has now become a tax on all Americans and a broken campaign promise from President Obama not to raise taxes.”
The NFIB has long voiced opposition to PPACA because of the threats from uncertainty, new taxes and onerous regulatory requirements. It’s a major reason why hiring hasn’t increased.
Plus, most micro firms are not able to provide healthcare coverage and now they face heavy fines that threaten their odds for success.
Moreover, entrepreneurs are a courageous, independent lot. They have a dream. Most want to preserve their business, financial, personal, and political liberties. To them, PPACA is tantamount to slavery.
“We are concerned about the precedent that this will set in Congress’ ability to mandate other aspects of our lives, but we will move forward from today to continue to fight, harder than ever, for real healthcare reform for our membership,” adds Mr. Danner.
“Under PPACA, small-business owners are going to face an onslaught of taxes and mandates, resulting in job loss and closed businesses,” says Mr. Danner. “We will continue to fight for the repeal of PPACA in the halls of Congress; only with PPACA’s full repeal will Congress have the ability to go back to the drawing board to craft real reform that makes reducing costs a number one priority.”
His bottom-line: “The power and control of healthcare decisions should be in the hands of the consumer, not the government.”
NFIB’s chief lawyer concurs.
“This day will go down in history as the day when Americans lost a part of their freedom – the freedom to choose what they want to buy with their own money,” says Karen Harned, executive director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center.
The high court’s ruling also drew a negative reaction from a leading think tank, the Washington Policy Center (WPC), and its healthcare analyst and retired heart surgeon, Dr. Roger Stark.
“… most Americans oppose this law, and most Washingtonians oppose the individual mandate,” says Dr. Stark. “They believe, rightly, that the law will result in higher costs, fewer choices, and worse care for them and their families.”
He cites a KING 5 poll in Washington state that shows 64 percent of respondents opposed the individual health insurance mandate, and nearly half dislike the entire ACA.
Dr. Stark co-founded the open-heart surgery program at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, and authored the book: “The Patient-Centered Solution, Out Health Care Crisis, How It Happened, and How We Can Fix It.”
WPC’s Web site: www.washingtonpolicy.org
Meantime, let’s wish the WPC luck in educating voters. And wish the NFIB luck – so their entrepreneurial members can achieve their dreams of successful businesses.
From the Coach’s Corner, as far as I know, Grant Thornton (www.GrantThornton.com/tax) hasn’t issued a position-advocacy paper on the PPACA. But the accounting firm issued a news alert.
Here is Grant Thornton’s text of recommendations:
- New mandatory summaries of benefits and coverage – An employer will need to update its summaries of benefits and coverage in conformance with new guidance prior to the next open enrollment period. This may be problematic for employers offering multiple plan options and medical plans with carved-out benefits (for example, separate medical and pharmacy benefit providers).
- Form W-2 health plan reporting - An employer must update its payroll system in order to report the cost of its health care coverage on Forms W-2 issued for 2012.
- Plan design changes to mitigate the effect of the “Cadillac tax” – Starting in 2018, a provision of the PPACA imposes a 40 percent excise tax on the insurer or plan sponsor for a health plan whose value exceeds a certain threshold. With proper planning this impact can be lowered or eliminated through wellness programs and plan design changes that encourage cost-effective behavior. Also, employers should consider whether they will pass the cost of the excise tax to their employees, because the employees’ health care benefits cause the excise tax to apply.
- Elimination of its health care program – An employer may want to consider whether to continue to offer health care as a benefit or have employees buy their coverage through one of the many exchanges being established.
- Proper handling of accounting issues – An employer may not have taken into consideration in its financial statements the effect of the PPACA provisions regarding the Medicare Part D subsidy taxation rules and potential Cadillac tax.
- Communication about the effect of the decision to employees – The Supreme Court decision may raise a number of questions from employees that employers should be prepared to address.
“Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.”
-Khalil Gibran
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
Will State Lawmakers Heed New SBA Data, Small Business Concerns?
Jan. 26, 2012
There’s more evidence that small business plays a pivotal role in creating jobs in Washington and other states, according to the Office of Advocacy in the Small Business Administration (SBA). The Office of Advocacy released small business data for each of the 50 states.
SBA believes the new data is “an invaluable resource for small businesses, legislators, academics, government officials, and policymakers in each state.”
Why?
“Small businesses are the foundation of economic growth in Washington and in our nation” said Dr. Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “By supporting policies that promote innovation and entrepreneurship, we help small businesses tackle these challenging economic times. These statistics are a resource for a path to economic growth.”
As for Washington state, the report explains “small business employment; business starts and closings; bank lending; business ownership by minorities, women, and veterans; and firm and employment change by major industry and firm size.”
Salient data about small business:
- There were 532,162 small businesses in Washington in 2009. Of these, 142,854 were employers and they accounted for 53.3 percent of private sector jobs in the state. Small firms made up 98.1 percent of the state’s employers.
- Throughout 2010, the number of opening establishments was lower than closing establishments and the net employment change from this turnover was negative.
- Washington’s real gross state product increased 0.7 percent and private-sector employment decreased 1.8 percent in 2010. By comparison, real GDP in the United States decreased 1.3 percent and private sector employment declined by 0.8 percent.
- Self-employment in Washington surged over the last decade. Female self-employment fared the best compared with other demographic groups during the decade.
To promote entrepreneurship, this week the Washington Policy Center sent state lawmakers in the 2012 legislative session these recommendations:
- Revisit the voluntary settlement agreement as passed by the state Senate in 2011 – $1.2 billion
- Reform the displaced worker retraining program
- Simplify sales taxes by using an ‘origin based’ tax (as opposed to a ‘destination based’ tax) and creating a flat rate for out-of-state businesses
- Review regulations to ensure that Washington rules don’t exceed federal regulations
- Enact Tort Reform
- Do no harm in transportation policy – do not reduce road lane capacity
- Do not follow Seattle in enacting statewide paid sick leave
In addition, Gov. Gregoire suggested her strategies to aid small business — business and occupation tax relief.
How has the Legislature responded? Lawmakers have ignored their $1.5 budget-deficit crisis.
Instead, lawmakers are considering other matters – mandating paid sick leave and safe leave, banning plastic bags, abolishing the death penalty and gay marriage.
When will Washington’s Legislature demonstrate wisdom?
From the Coach’s Corner, also read:
WPC Hits Target, but Will Washington State Legislature?
Washington: A Balanced Budget Is No Longer Enough
Does the Federal Reserve Understand Small Business?
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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Columnist Terry Corbell is also a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services (many are available online). For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule Terry Corbell as a speaker, why don’t you contact him today?
WPC Hits Target, but Will Washington State Legislature?
Dec. 7, 2011
The clock is ticking. The state government spends $41 million each day but the Washington State Legislature has made little, if any, progress in its 30-day special session to solve a $2 billion deficit. Meantime, Office of Financial Management Director Marty Brown sent an email to lawmakers warning them action is needed – now.
No floor votes. Nada. Nothing.
At the request of Gov. Chris Gregoire, the special session started Nov. 28. The state is scheduled to spend more money than it will have for policies, programs and salaries.
Earlier, the governor proposed a half cent sales tax increase to raise about $500 million. The events prompted this Biz Coach piece: Budget Debate: Will Legislature Read Seattle News Media Headlines?
Actually, more than balancing the budget, the state needs to reform government for a healthy economic environment.
“While it’s true that state revenues are projected to grow by $2 billion over the previous budget cycle, this time there’s no federal bailout to prop up past overspending,” said a WPC press release. “Some in Olympia are talking tax increases, yet our state’s fragile economy, and especially small businesses, are struggling to survive as it is.”
The Washington Policy Center (WPC) has some ideas worth adopting – the suggestions were sent in a letter to Governor Gregoire.
WPC’s recommendations:
- Provide the governor discretionary authority to cut spending. Adopt performance-based Priorities of government budgeting to control the rate of spending growth.
- Restore the legislature’s ability to amend collective bargaining agreements.
- Direct state managers to use more competitive contracting.
- Repeal unaffordable programs instead of suspending them.
- Bring state employee health care premium contributions in line with those of the private sector.
- Ask state lawmakers to set aside a 5 percent reserve when adopting the next biennial budget.
Following its statewide conference to discuss small business issues, WPC sent the legislature these recommendations:
- Revisit the voluntary settlement agreement as passed by the state Senate in 2011 – $1.2 billion
- Reform the displaced worker retraining program
- Simplify sales taxes by using an ‘origin based’ tax (as opposed to a ‘destination based’ tax) and creating a flat rate for out-of-state businesses
- Review regulations to ensure that Washington rules don’t exceed federal regulations
- Enact Tort Reform
- Do no harm in transportation policy – do not reduce road lane capacity
- Do not follow Seattle in enacting statewide paid sick leave
From the Coach’s Corner, see WPC’s Coverage of the special legislative session here.
Here are related columns:
- Why the Sales Tax Debate Erupts in Washington State
- No Lame Duck, Washington Official Enhances Economic Public Policy
“There’s no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.”
-Will Rogers
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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.
Thankfully, WA State Officials Listen to WPC – Ask Lawmakers for Transparency
Jan. 12, 2011
Washington state legislators have been formally asked to become transparent – to practice accountability for good, open government. The request was in the form of a letter from State Auditor Brian Sonntag, a Democrat, and Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican.
In fact, Messrs. Sonntag and McKenna have asked lawmakers for a constitutional amendment to improve legislative transparency – actually, it’s an idea from the Washington Policy Center (WPC – www.washingtonpolicy.org).
The Sonntag-McKenna letter states:
“In the spirit of open and accountable government, we support a proposed constitutional amendment to create greater legislative transparency. The attached proposal, recommended by the Washington Policy Center, would prohibit blank bills from being introduced or voted on by the legislature. While the use of ‘title only bills’ is a rare procedure, the public concern substantially justifies eliminating their use entirely. The proposal would also require a minimum time for public notice of bills before a legislative hearing or action on the bill.
These basic reforms will build the public trust and ensure that government is open and accountable to the public. Please give your support to this proposed constitutional amendment.”
Accountability and transparency have long been issues in Washington.
“During the 2010 Session lawmakers routinely waived legislative rules requiring five-day notice before holding a bill hearing; provided inadequate notice of the time, location and topic of public hearings; held hearings on bills with no text; and voted on bills the same day details were made publicly available,” wrote Jason Mercier, director for the Center for Government Reform at WPC.
“The rush to vote on the budget and tax bills without allowing meaningful public comment or adequate review time by lawmakers led to mistakes in the bills,” he added.
Actually, the 2010 legislative session was one of only many in which lawmakers ignored the principle of good, open government. That’s why the state has a severe budget crisis. I’ve been warning about these issues for many years.
Appropriately, Mr. Mercier said the WPC makes these specific recommendations:
- Require 72-hour public notification before any bill could receive a public hearing
- Prohibit title only bills (no public hearing or vote should occur on a “ghost bill”)
- Prohibit votes on final passage until the final version of the bill to be approved has been publicly available for at least 24 hours.
Yes, reform is critical. The lack of transparency and good, open government have adversely impacted state businesses, their workers and customers for years. The WPC, and Messrs. Sonntag and McKenna have admirably worked to protect Washingtonians.
Memo to state officials: Please do the right thing.
From the Coach’s Corner, the state’s government needs a fundamental cultural and structural change in the way it conducts its business in order to perform the will of the voters. This Biz Coach business-news portal was designed primarily to provide business-coaching – proven solutions for maximum profits. But a disproportionate number of columns have been necessarily devoted to stop the chicanery of the state’s Legislature and agencies.
As a review, a sample from 2010 includes:
Washington Needs Soul-Searching in Public Policy, Budgeting – and Action
WA Election Reminder: Business Issues to Ponder
How to Alleviate Business Uncertainty in Washington State
Tax Increases Will Cost Washington Businesses, Consumers $6.7 Billion Next 10 Years
Why Not Transparency for Good, Open Government in Washington State?
I-1082 Will Stabilize Worker’s Compensation in Washington
Washington state will benefit three ways if Initiative 1082 passes, according to the highly respected Washington Policy Center (WPC).
WPC released a study that shows I-1082 will “help keep premium increases in check, encourage innovation in rehabilitating injured workers, and most importantly, provide safer workplaces.” That means employers and workers will benefit.
The WPC points out the four goals of I-1082:
- Maintain existing benefit levels for injured workers while improving their opportunity to return to work.
- Eliminate the requirement that workers pay one-half of their medical coverage for on-the-job injuries.
- Open up the current state-run industrial insurance system to competition from private industrial insurance providers, with a July 1, 2012 start date for an open market.
- Maintain a “best practices” approach to worker safety as developed by both private and public sectors
The WPC study (Citizens Guide to Initiative 1082: To Reform Workers’ Compensation in Washington) concludes that Washington state is a “high benefit, high cost state system.”
It explains how the current government system “is on a shaky financial footing.”
The study also asserts “punishes a business community that has produced safer workplaces over the last two decades, and has been rewarded with steadily increasing insurance rates.”
The study’s most salient points:
- Research shows that more competition in industrial insurance would help keep premiums in check, encourage innovation in rehabilitating injured workers and provide safer workplaces.
- States that have recently introduced a competitive industrial insurance market have seen costs decline and customer satisfaction increase.
- As written, I-1082 relieves employees from paying for industrial insurance premiums. As in the other 49 states, businesses would pay 100% of the cost.
- I-1082 would not address every detail of the transition to a “hybrid” industrial insurance market, but would set mechanisms in place to do so.
- As written, I-1082 does not alter the benefit levels of injured workers in any way.
Proponents argue that Washington state is only one of four state-government monopolies in the nation. They lament Washington’s worker’s comp increases while Oregon has had the same rates for the last two decades. They point to the state’s second-highest cost per worker, and “the third most generous benefit package in the nation.”
From the Coach’s Corner, for more information, here are three I-1082 resource links:
Small Business Success Is Key for Washington’s Sustainability
April 6, 2010
Washington state’s small business owners are getting a first-hand look at ways to improve their economic environment, thanks to the Washington Policy Center (WPC). The think tank is taking 24 ideas on the road and sharing them in 24 locales around the state.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Washington’s economy,” wrote Carl Gipson, director of WPC’s Center for Small Business. “We are committed to helping improve the small business climate in our state, and going on a tour of Washington is a great way to get the conversation started.”
The topics in the WPC tour range from unemployment insurance to state taxes. They’re included in the WPC report, Lead the Way: Small Business and the Road to Recovery. The ideas were provided by small business owners throughout the state in late 2009.
Mr. Gipson provides this ominous reminder: “Recent data shows Washington’s small business failure rate is the second-highest in the nation.”
To be candid, this Biz Coach site has long voiced concerns about government behavior – the theft of economic freedom and political freedom — so I really appreciate Mr. Gipson’s observation:
“The proper function of taxation is to raise money for core functions of government, not to direct the behavior of its citizens,” he wrote.
“This is true whether government is big or small, and this is true for lawmakers at all levels of government,” he added. “Many lawmakers think of the tax code as a way to penalize ‘bad’ behaviors and reward ‘good’ ones. They have sought incessantly to guide, micromanage and steer the economy by manipulating the tax laws.”
Then, there’s this reminder: “The State Auditor has conducted 23 audits as of December, 2009, ‘identifying billions of dollars in unnecessary spending, potential cost savings and economic benefits and recommending numerous ways to improve state and local government operations’,” he wrote.
“Too often, policymakers act without considering or measuring the impact of their decisions on the owners of mom-and-pop businesses, even though those are the very businesses that are disproportionately hampered by the regulations and taxes they impose,” wrote Mr. Gipson.
And he shares some history about the impact of small business.
“During the 2003-2004 recovery period from the recession from the early 2000s, businesses with fewer than 500 employees hired almost 1.9 million workers, while businesses with more than 500 employees laid off over 200,000 workers,” he wrote. “In Washington, using both the state government’s and Washington Policy Center’s definition of small business (fewer than 50 employees), small businesses make up 96 percent of all registered businesses while employees of small businesses account for 41 percent of the state’s workforce.”
Here is the WPC tour schedule: www.washingtonpolicy.org/leadtheway
WPC’s Web site: www.washingtonpolicy.org
From the Coach’s Corner, a reminder if you need business counseling at no charge, consider the Small Business Development Center nearest you (SBDC).
Why Not Transparency for Good, Open Government in Washington State?
March 24, 2010
Even after concluding its regular 2010 legislative session and after nearly two weeks of a special session, there is no balanced budget. There are no efficiencies. Worse, there is little transparency about taxpayer assets. The Legislature hasn’t learned to stop chasing ill health.
By extension, it’s clear that Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown is not passing the transparency test of good, open government. She has failed to spearhead passage of a balanced budget and has largely ignored efficiencies, such as the Opportunities for Washington, recommended by a prominent member of her own party – State Auditor Brian Sonntag.
Instead of focusing on successfully ending the special session, The Seattle Times reports she sent a letter to Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna demanding that he stop his health-care efforts and accused him of being “far outside the mainstream interests” of the state. But my straw poll of businesses and consumers shows a majority in favor of his position.
Meantime, here’s a news flash: There is furtive, dubious activity under her leadership – everything from secretly raising taxes; gutting The Taxpayer Protection Act, Initiative 960; and passing ghost tax bills. There are no efforts to create a good economic environment and private sector jobs.
Actively highlighting the disingenuous behavior has been Jason Mercier, director of the Center for Government Reform at the Washington Policy Center (WPC), the nonpartisan think tank.
After seeing this TVW video posted on the Washington Policy Blog in which Speaker Brown denies knowing why Mr. Mercier has repeatedly raised concerns about legislative transparency, how could she be so disconnected?
Most state newspapers have commented to no avail, such as The Seattle Times in Gov. Gregoire: Use veto to keep transparency and in The Washington State Senate and the age of hubris.
When Gov. Gregoire failed to honor the request, the newspaper ran this editorial, Governor, Legislature should have kept two-thirds rule on taxes.
Even The Olympian commented in A bad example of legislative ‘transparency’.
There are plenty of other indications about the absence of transparency. How could she not have noticed any of WPC’s analysis? See for yourself at www.washingtonpolicy.org.
Plus, I’ve written numerous Biz Coach columns on the issue.
I cited $65 million in waste in this column, “Will Government Policies Ever Promote Economic And Political Liberty?” State employees are allowed to carry forward and cash out their unused sick leave.
You see, the state paid $65.3 million in unused sick leave from 2007 to 2009. And state workers have received millions of dollars in this budget cycle. This is a perk you will rarely, if ever, see for taxpayers in the private sector.
The largest employer in Washington, 17.6 percent of the workforce, is government. The retail sector is second with 10.8 percent. In the state’s 2009 comprehensive annual financial report, government expenses outgrew revenue.
Another eye-opener in the report: “Governmental activities resulted in a decrease in the state of Washington’s net assets of $2.2 billion.”
Because of the extravagant spending, the gap in unfunded Washington’s retiree health benefits is $7.9 billon.
Meantime, ranking member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Sen. Joe Zarelli, has unsuccessfully argued in favor of transparency with Committee Chair, Sen. Margarita Prentice. This TVW video illustrates violations of legislative transparency standards.
All of this employee pork, unnecessary spending, and violations of transparency standards are why WPC is advocating a constitutional amendment for transparency:
BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:
THAT, Transparency and public disclosure in the legislative process is vital to a representative democracy. THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state the secretary of state shall submit to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, a new section amending Article 2, an amendment to Article 2, section 19, and an amendment to Article 2, section 22 of the Constitution of the state of Washington to read as follows:
Article II, new section. No bill shall be eligible for a public hearing until 72 hours after introduction. No bill shall be eligible for legislative action of any kind unless it has first been subject to a public hearing in the same session of consideration. No bill shall be eligible for legislative action on the floor of either house until 72 hours after it has been placed on the floor calendar. This section may be suspended with two-thirds of the members elected to the house in which it is pending suspend this requirement, and every individual consideration of a bill or action suspending the requirement shall be recorded in the journal of the respective house.
Article II, section 19. No bill shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title. No bill shall be eligible for public hearing or legislative consideration of any kind unless the bill shall lay forth in full the changes to any act or sections of law. Title only bills shall be prohibited.
Article II, section 22. No bill shall be eligible for final passage in either house unless copies of the bill in the form to be passed shall have been made available to the members of that house and the public for at least twenty-four hours, unless two-thirds of the members elected to the house in which it is pending suspend this requirement, and every individual consideration of a bill or action suspending the requirement shall be recorded in the journal of the respective house. No bill shall become a law unless on its final passage the vote be taken by yeas and nays, the names of the members voting for and against the same be entered on the journal of each house, and a majority of the members elected to each house be recorded thereon as voting in its favor.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause notice of this constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.
Let’s have a discussion about WPC’s suggestion. Implementing transparency is the right thing to do and will promote good, open government in Washington state. Stop chasing ill health.
From the Coach’s Corner, courtesy of Enterprise Washington, click here to find your legislators’ phone number and email address.