SENATE BILL REPORT
SJR 8206
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
State & Local Government, February 19, 2001
Ways & Means, March 6, 2001
Brief Description: Requiring a geographic distribution of initiative petition signatures.
Sponsors: Senators Hargrove, McDonald, Jacobsen, Long, Costa, Regala, Snyder, Winsley, T. Sheldon, Gardner, McCaslin, Morton, Haugen, Rasmussen, Hochstatter, Honeyford, Oke and McAuliffe.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: State & Local Government: 2/1/01, 2/19/01 [DPS‑WM, DNP].
Ways & Means: 2/27/01, 3/6/01 [DP2S, DNP].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Joint Resolution No. 8206 be substituted therefor, and the substitute joint resolution do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.
Signed by Senators Patterson, Chair; Gardner, Hale, Haugen, Horn, McCaslin, T. Sheldon and Swecker.
Minority Report: Do not pass.
Signed by Senator Roach.
Staff: Eugene Green (786‑7405)
SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS
Majority Report: That Second Substitute Senate Joint Resolution No. 8206 be substituted therefor, and the second substitute joint resolution do pass.
Signed by Senators Brown, Chair; Hewitt, Honeyford, Long, Parlette, Rasmussen, Regala, Sheahan, Snyder, Winsley and Zarelli.
Minority Report: Do not pass.
Signed by Senators Constantine, Vice Chair; Fairley, Vice Chair; Fraser, Kline, Kohl‑Welles and Rossi.
Staff: Steve Jones (786-7440)
Background: The Constitution of Washington State vests legislative authority in the Legislature, but reserves to the people the power to propose, enact or reject bills independent of the Legislature. The first power reserved to the people is the initiative. Article II, Section 1, requires an initiative petition to have valid signatures equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of Governor at the last gubernatorial election preceding the initial filing of the initiative.
The number of initiatives certified to the ballot, or receiving the requisite number of signatures, in the last eight years has more than doubled over the previous two ten-year periods. The number of initiatives passed during these periods has remained relatively unchanged.
Summary of Second Substitute Bill: Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of Washington State is amended so that at least 6 of the congressional districts each have a number of valid signatures equal to at least one-ninth of the required signatures.
Second Substitute Bill Compared to Substitute Bill: A technical drafting error is corrected and it extends the effective date from 2003 to 2004.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The original joint resolution prohibits the validation of signatures from any congressional district in excess of one‑sixth of the total number of signatures required.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: January 1, 2004.
Testimony For: This will assure broad geographic support for the submission of an initiative measure to the Legislature or the people. The delayed effective date will reduce the fiscal impact of the bill by allowing additional time for the development of a statewide voter registration database.
Testimony Against: (original bill) People should not feel their signature is "wasted."
Testified: Senator Jim Hargrove, prime sponsor (pro); Steve Gano (pro); Tony Wells, Hunters Heritage Council (pro); Alan Worrell (pro); Cherie Davidson, League of Women Voters (con); Jim King, Citizens for Outdoor Recreation (con); Ed Owens, Citizens for Responsible Wildlife Management, Salmon for Washington (pro); David Elliott, Office of Secretary of State; Linda Johnson, WA Farm Bureau (pro).