H-0476.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1559

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Representative McDermott

Read first time 01/29/2001.  Referred to Committee on State Government.

Requiring more official information about initiatives.

    AN ACT Relating to information about initiatives; adding new sections to chapter 29.79 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 29.81 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:

    The attorney general shall prepare a comprehensive summary of each initiative to the people that is certified to the ballot and each initiative to the legislature, and any alternative measure proposed by the legislature that will appear on the ballot.  The comprehensive summary must include a detailed description of the initiative provisions, a discussion of potential constitutional issues that may arise from the initiative if it were to be approved by state voters, and an executive summary of the description and potential constitutional issues.  The detailed description, and in particular the executive summary, must be written in clear and concise language and avoid legal and technical terms when possible.  The comprehensive summary must be available online from the secretary of state's website.  The executive summary must be included in the state voters' pamphlet.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 29.79 RCW to read as follows:

    The office of financial management shall prepare a fiscal note for each initiative to the people that is certified to the ballot and each initiative to the legislature, and any alternative measure proposed by the legislature that will appear on the ballot.  The fiscal note must describe any projected increases or decreases in revenues, costs, expenditures, or indebtedness that the state and local governments will experience if the initiative measure were approved by state voters.  The fiscal note must include an executive summary of these fiscal impacts that is written in clear and concise language and avoids legal and technical terms when possible, and may include easy to understand graphics.  The fiscal note must be available online from the secretary of state's website.  The executive summary must be included in the state voters' pamphlet.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 29.81 RCW to read as follows:

    In addition to other information required to be included in the voters' pamphlet on an initiative, the secretary of state shall include the initiative's comprehensive summary prepared under section 1 of this act and the initiative's fiscal note prepared under section 2 of this act.  This additional information must be presented highlighting the executive summaries.

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