Rep. Van Werven releases statement on I-1366 ruling
King County Superior Court Judge William Downing declared I-1366, passed by voters last November, unconstitutional today. I-1366 would provide state lawmakers with a choice: allow voters to decide on a state constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority vote of the Legislature to approve new taxes, or allow a 1 percent reduction in the state retail sales tax to be implemented.
Rep. Luanne Van Werven, R-Lynden, released the following statement on the court ruling today:
“I'm very disappointed that the lower court has ruled I-1366 unconstitutional. As this issue heads to the state Supreme Court, I fear the outcome there will be the same. Voters have voted six times that they want it to be more difficult for the Legislature to raise taxes. Today's court ruling throws the will of the voters aside yet again. Regardless of what the state Supreme Court decides to do, the Legislature should send a constitutional amendment to voters this year that would require a supermajority vote for tax increases. I am supporting legislation that would do this and allow voters to finally settle this important issue.”
