S‑1383.1 _____________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5520
_____________________________________________
State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on State & Local Government (originally sponsored by Senators Patterson, Horn, Haugen, Spanel, Kohl‑Welles, Gardner and Winsley)
READ FIRST TIME 02/12/01.
_1 AN ACT Relating to information about ballot measures; amending
_2 RCW 29.81.250; and adding a new section to chapter 29.79 RCW.
_3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
_4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 29.79
_5 RCW to read as follows:
_6 The office of financial management, in consultation with the
_7 secretary of state, the attorney general, and any other
_8 appropriate state or local agency, shall prepare a fiscal impact
_9 statement for each of the following state ballot measures: (1) An
10 initiative to the people that is certified to the ballot; (2) an
11 initiative to the legislature that will appear on the ballot; (3)
12 an alternative measure appearing on the ballot that the
13 legislature proposes to an initiative to the legislature; (4) a
14 referendum bill referred to voters by the legislature; and (5) a
15 referendum measure appearing on the ballot. Fiscal impact
16 statements must be written in clear and concise language and avoid
17 legal and technical terms when possible, and may include easily
18 understood graphics.
p. 1 SSB 5520
_1 A fiscal impact statement must describe any projected increase
_2 or decrease in revenues, costs, expenditures, or indebtedness that
_3 the state or local governments will experience if the ballot
_4 measure were approved by state voters. Where appropriate, a fiscal
_5 impact statement may include both estimated dollar amounts and a
_6 description placing the estimated dollar amounts into context. A
_7 fiscal impact statement must include both a summary of not to
_8 exceed one hundred words and a more detailed statement that
_9 includes the assumptions that were made to develop the fiscal
10 impacts.
11 Fiscal impact statements must be available online from the
12 secretary of state's web site and included in the state voters'
13 pamphlet.
14 Sec. 2. RCW 29.81.250 and 1999 c 260 s 5 are each amended to read
15 as follows:
16 The secretary of state shall determine the format and layout of
17 the voters' pamphlet. The secretary of state shall print the
18 pamphlet in clear, readable type on a size, quality, and weight of
19 paper that in the judgment of the secretary of state best serves
20 the voters. The pamphlet must contain a table of contents. Federal
21 and state offices must appear in the pamphlet in the same sequence
22 as they appear on the ballot. Measures and arguments must be
23 printed in the order specified by RCW 29.79.300.
24 The voters' pamphlet must provide the following information for
25 each statewide issue on the ballot:
26 (1) The legal identification of the measure by serial
27 designation or number;
28 (2) The official ballot title of the measure;
29 (3) A statement prepared by the attorney general explaining the
30 law as it presently exists;
31 (4) A statement prepared by the attorney general explaining the
32 effect of the proposed measure if it becomes law;
33 (5) The fiscal impact statement prepared under section 1 of
34 this act;
35 (6) The total number of votes cast for and against the measure
36 in the senate and house of representatives, if the measure has
37 been passed by the legislature;
SSB 5520 p. 2
_1 (((6))) (7) An argument advocating the
voters' approval of the
_2 measure together with any statement in rebuttal of the opposing
_3 argument;
_4 (((7))) (8) An argument advocating the
voters' rejection of the
_5 measure together with any statement in rebuttal of the opposing
_6 argument;
_7 (((8))) (9) Each argument or rebuttal
statement must be
_8 followed by the names of the committee members who submitted them,
_9 and may be followed by a telephone number that citizens may call
10 to obtain information on the ballot measure;
11 (((9))) (10) The full text of each
measure.
‑‑‑ END ‑‑‑
p. 3 SSB 5520