For the Reporter
Sen. Pam Roach’s measure to let voters permanently require a two-thirds majority vote of the Legislature to raise taxes was approved by the Senate Government Operations and Security Committee on Thursday.
“We have spoken and our message is crystal clear,” said Roach, R-Sumner, who is a prime sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 8211. “The people have voted for some version of the two-thirds tax-vote rule six times over 22 years – only to see our efforts thwarted by the Legislature or the courts each time.
“My bill would give voters the final say on the matter once and for all, by letting the people vote on whether or not to put the two-thirds rule in the state constitution.”
If approved by the Legislature and ratified by voters at the next general election, SJR 8211 would change the constitution so a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is required to raise taxes. The measure would also require a simple-majority vote in both chambers to impose or increase a fee in any fiscal year, thereby ending the practice of lawmakers delegating the fee-setting authority to various agencies.
Because getting to a two-thirds majority in either the Senate or House requires bipartisan support, Roach said, her measure would prevent partisan tax increases like those imposed in 2010 when one party controlled Olympia. It’s about ensuring all other options for balancing the budget are exhausted first, so that tax increases truly become a last resort, she explained.
The last two-thirds tax rule to pass by initiative was I-1185, in 2012; it received 64 percent of the statewide vote, carried every county, and passed in 44 out of 49 legislative districts. The initiative also received 72 percent of the vote in the 31st district, which Roach represents.
In 2013, however, the state Supreme Court nullified the two-thirds tax rule, saying that the supermajority requirement was unconstitutional and could not be implemented without a constitutional amendment.
Voters responded by adopting Initiative 1366 at the 2015 general election. That measure requires the Legislature to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, or face a decrease in the state retail sales tax rate.
Earlier this month a King County Superior Court judge ruled that I-1366 is unconstitutional – a decision that will likely be reviewed by the state Supreme Court.
Roach pointed to a recent statewide poll that showed that 65 percent of voters still wanted a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority to raise taxes even if the high court does strike down I-1366.
“How the Supreme Court may rule doesn’t change our obligation as lawmakers to listen to our voters,” Roach said. “We were sent to Olympia to represent the will of the people, and that is exactly what I will continue to do.”
Tim Eyman, sponsor of I-1185 and I-1366, praised Roach for her leadership on the issue.
“Thanks to Sen. Pam Roach’s sponsorship of this voter-inspired protection, and her inspiring leadership and persistence, Senate Joint Resolution 8211 was voted out of committee this morning,” Eyman said.
