Washington State Legislature Passes 3 of 6 Initiatives Into Law

The Washington State Legislature on Monday passed into law three of the six initiatives that were certified by the Secretary of States office in January.  The three were passed out of their respective State House and Senate Committees last Friday after hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.

The three initiatives the Legislature did not hold hearings or votes for all dealt with money coming into the State Government:

• I-2124 - Opt out of the Long Term Health Care Program
• I-2109 - Repeal the State Capital Gains Tax
• I-2117 - Stop the Hidden Gas Tax (end the carbon credit auctions)

They will appear on the ballot in November for voters to decide.  If they pass with 50.1% of the vote, they become law.

The Initiatives that passed did not impact State finances.  They are

I-2081 Parents "Bill of Rights"

The Parental notification initiative allows parents and guardians of children in the public school system to review instructional material, inspect student health and discipline records upon request, and provide notification when their child is given medical treatment or taken off campus.

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The Senate voted unanimously, 49-0, to pass the initiative while the House voted 82-15 in favor with one member excused.

I-2113 Reasonable Police Pursuit

This returns the ability for police to pursue criminals very close to the standard in place before the legislature passed HB 1054 in 2021.  In 2023 the pursuit law was slightly modified the pursuit law to allow for pursuit of certain crimes were committed.

This gives officers the ability to pursue if they have reasonable suspicion if a person has violated the law and it is necessary to identify and apprehend them.  If a person poses a treat to public safety and that threat is greater than the risk of the pursuit.  A supervisor would need to authorize the pursuit.

This passed the Senate 36-11 and the House 76-21 with one member excused.

I-2111 No State Income Tax

Many Washingtonians believe the law already prevents a state income tax, but that isn't the case.  The state constitution has a uniformity clause that puts limits on collecting property taxes and a voter approved amendment on 1930 basically declared income as property.  Ten rejected voter initiatives on the subject would also give that impression.

This initiative specifically prohibits state and local governments from imposing of collecting an income tax with income defined the same way the IRS defines it.  This passed the Senate 38-11 and the House 77-20 with one member excused.

They do not need the Governor's signature to become law.  They were Initiatives to the legislature, not laws written and passed by the legislature.  Each of the three will become law 90 days after the end of this legislative session.  If it ends on time, they will take effect on June 7th, 2024.