S-1499.6  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5705

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on State & Local Government (originally sponsored by Senators Deccio, T. Sheldon, Honeyford, Rasmussen, Benton, Prentice, Oke, Jacobsen, Thibaudeau, Franklin, B. Sheldon, Shin, McCaslin, Parlette, Winsley, Fraser, Costa, Sheahan, Hewitt, Carlson, Regala, Kline, Kohl‑Welles and McAuliffe)

READ FIRST TIME 03/05/01.

Requiring fiscal impact statements for initiatives.

    AN ACT Relating to initiatives; amending RCW 29.79.040; and adding a new section to chapter 29.79 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 29.79 RCW to read as follows:

    If an initiative, whether to the people or to the legislature, would require spending public funds for its implementation, the office of financial management shall prepare a fiscal impact statement for the initiative.  Fiscal impact statements must be written in clear and concise language and avoid legal and technical terms when possible, and may include easily understood graphics.

    A fiscal impact statement must describe any projected increase or decrease in revenues, costs, expenditures, or indebtedness that the state or local governments will experience if the initiative is approved by state voters.  Where appropriate, a fiscal impact statement may include both estimated dollar amounts and a description placing the estimated dollar amounts into context.  A fiscal impact statement must include both a summary of not to exceed one hundred words and a more detailed statement that includes the assumptions that were made to develop the fiscal impacts.

    Fiscal impact statements must be available on line from the secretary of state's web site and included in the state voters' pamphlet.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 29.79.040 and 2000 c 197 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Within five days after the receipt of an initiative or referendum the attorney general shall formulate the ballot title, or portion of the ballot title that the legislature has not provided, required by RCW 29.79.035 and a summary of the measure, not to exceed seventy-five words, and transmit the serial number for the measure, complete ballot title, and summary to the secretary of state.  Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays are not counted in calculating the time limits in this section.

(2) If an initiative increases spending, the following wording in bold type must appear after the ballot title:

"This measure has been determined to cost a significant amount of money to implement.

If it passes, a tax increase or a new tax may be required or significant cuts to vital state services may occur."

This statement must appear in bold print along with the ballot title on all documents in which the ballot title is required to appear, and must appear in all forms of advertising and displays.

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