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.

 

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                               p. 3                      SSB 5520