Posted on 06/10/2005 12:33:14 PM PDT by truth49
OLYMPIA— The State Supreme Court today agreed to hear the case protecting the people’s rights to file a referendum on legislative actions, guaranteed by the state constitution. The hearing is scheduled for June 30, 2005.
Last month, the Washington Farm Bureau, the Building Industry Association, the Washington State Grange, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Evergreen Freedom Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging the Secretary of State’s denial of the referendum filed by the Farm Bureau on SB 6078. SB 6078 suspended the voter-approved Initiative 601 that limited government spending and required a two-thirds vote in both houses to raise taxes. Legislators passed this bill in the waning days of the legislative session and attached an emergency clause allowing the bill to take effect immediately. According to the Secretary of State’s office, the emergency clause prevents a referendum from being filed.
“The fact that the Supreme Court is willing to take this case on is a huge victory for the people of Washington state,” said Don Whiting of the Washington State Grange. “No real emergency existed since the state had a seven percent overall gain in revenue. The Legislature could have written a budget within these existing revenues but instead chose to revoke the will of the people in order to increase the budget further. The use of the emergency clause to do this was clearly an abuse of legislative power and only serves to thwart the constitutional right of the people.”
The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) agrees. “The law allowing emergency clauses was intended for true emergencies. Lawmakers have overused this clause to push controversial issues through the Legislature and avoid accountability,” said Lyle Fox, President of BIAW. “Since revenues had increased the ability to grow the state budget above the last biennium’s levels, there was no reason to undo Initiative 601. The declaration of an “emergency” in this situation shows an out of control government, unwilling to listen to the people and spend within their means.”
When is the legislature going to consider judicial abuse?
THIS should be INTERESTING......
Reports indicate that after just a few days, the initiative to get signatures to repeal her gas tax in November is white-hot successful.
Something needed to be done, lest they employ this tactic with everything.....
My understanding: The voters voted in 601 several years ago to limit the wild spending of the State house/senate.....the State House/senate this time decided they had an "emergency" on their hands which in THIS state means it goes into effect immediately, and the voters cannot, because they SAID it was an "emergency," by Referendum, resurrect 601 in some other form, and vote it back in.....dirty...dirty...dirty. People in this state will be watching the State Supreme Court on THIS VERY CAREFULLY!
The 'Rats are trying to toss out an approved initiative (601), voted on by the people of the state, by declaring a phony "emergency" and using the "emergency" clause to prohibit another initiative to throw out this crooked action.
I hope people in WA are pissed off enough to do something about these aholes at long last.
P.S.....ALSO.....most contend we did NOT have an "emergency"....we had an increase in Revenues of something like 7%
In this stinking rat's nest of homosexual slime, never.
That will be about on the same day that the Thurston County Superior Court will be hearing my petition to recall Christine Gregoire.
Should know the exact date by next Thursday, or sooner.
I-601 was the brain-child of the most famous grass roots politician in the history of the state of Washington, Linda Smith.
Perhaps if we win this, get the gas tax repealed, performance audits implemented and King County kicks out Ron Sims we can begin to turn this state around.
Does David Irons have a website yet?
Gregoire will be gone by the end of the year.
i did move out. about 8 years ago.
On what basis of misdeed while in office have you filed for her recall?
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