S‑1073.1 _____________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5520
_____________________________________________
State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Senators Patterson, Horn, Haugen, Spanel, Kohl‑Welles, Gardner and Winsley
Read first time 01/25/2001. Referred to Committee on State & Local Government.
_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, shall prepare a fiscal impact statement for
_8 each of the following state ballot measures: (1) An initiative to
_9 the people that is certified to the ballot; (2) an initiative to
10 the legislature that will appear on the ballot; (3) an alternative
11 measure appearing on the ballot that the legislature proposes to
12 an initiative to the legislature; (4) a referendum bill referred
13 to voters by the legislature; and (5) a referendum measure
14 appearing on the ballot. Fiscal impact statements must be written
15 in clear and concise language and avoid legal and technical terms
16 when possible, and may include easily understood graphics.
17 A fiscal impact statement must describe any projected increase
18 or decrease in revenues, costs, expenditures, or indebtedness that
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_1 the state or local governments will experience if the ballot
_2 measure were approved by state voters. Where appropriate, a fiscal
_3 impact statement may include both estimated dollar amounts and a
_4 description placing the estimated dollar amounts into context. A
_5 fiscal impact statement must include both a summary of not to
_6 exceed one hundred words and a more detailed statement that
_7 includes the assumptions that were made to develop the fiscal
_8 impacts.
_9 Fiscal impact statements must be available online from the
10 secretary of state's web site and included in the state voters'
11 pamphlet.
12 Sec. 2. RCW 29.81.250 and 1999 c 260 s 5 are each amended to read
13 as follows:
14 The secretary of state shall determine the format and layout of
15 the voters' pamphlet. The secretary of state shall print the
16 pamphlet in clear, readable type on a size, quality, and weight of
17 paper that in the judgment of the secretary of state best serves
18 the voters. The pamphlet must contain a table of contents. Federal
19 and state offices must appear in the pamphlet in the same sequence
20 as they appear on the ballot. Measures and arguments must be
21 printed in the order specified by RCW 29.79.300.
22 The voters' pamphlet must provide the following information for
23 each statewide issue on the ballot:
24 (1) The legal identification of the measure by serial
25 designation or number;
26 (2) The official ballot title of the measure;
27 (3) A statement prepared by the attorney general explaining the
28 law as it presently exists;
29 (4) A statement prepared by the attorney general explaining the
30 effect of the proposed measure if it becomes law;
31 (5) The fiscal impact statement prepared under section 1 of
32 this act;
33 (6) The total number of votes cast for and against the measure
34 in the senate and house of representatives, if the measure has
35 been passed by the legislature;
36 (((6))) (7) An argument advocating the
voters' approval of the
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_1 measure together with any statement in rebuttal of the opposing
_2 argument;
_3 (((7))) (8) An argument advocating the
voters' rejection of the
_4 measure together with any statement in rebuttal of the opposing
_5 argument;
_6 (((8))) (9) Each argument or rebuttal
statement must be
_7 followed by the names of the committee members who submitted them,
_8 and may be followed by a telephone number that citizens may call
_9 to obtain information on the ballot measure;
10 (((9))) (10) The full text of each
measure.
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