Acting on behalf of the state the Attorney General’s Office has once again argued the 1993 voter-approved requirement for a 2/3 vote to raise taxes is constitutional (policy has been subsequently re-approved by the voters and legislature on multiple occasions). Here are some pull quotes from the state’s motion for summary judgment in the most recent legal challenge: “Plaintiff non-profit

Last year several House Democrats joined the Washington Education Association (WEA) and the League of Education Voters to file a lawsuit to overturn the four-time voter approved 2/3 vote requirement for tax increases. Today Governor Gregoire filed a legal brief urging the Court to rule on this issue. From her brief (in-part) “Governor Christine Gregoire asks this Court to decide

There is universal expectation that after next Thursday’s state revenue forecast lawmakers will need to make substantial reductions to the 2011-13 budget adopted earlier this year. The Speaker of the House and the Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee have already stated their desire to consider tax increases next year. According to Publicola: “On KUOW’s ‘The Conversation’ yesterday,

Last month several House Democrats joined the Washington Education Association (WEA) and the League of Education Voters to file a lawsuit to overturn the four-time voter approved 2/3 vote requirement for tax increases. On Monday the state responded. From the state’s brief (in-part): “Defendants admit that plaintiffs’ Complaint challenges the constitutionality of RCW 43.135.034, and that citations in the Complaint

In the waning hours of the “budget focused” special session Democrats in the House and Senate both attempted to cue up votes on a tax bill not assumed in the budget that no one expected to pass. The strategy was to try to gain legal standing to sue the voters to overturn the 18 year old 2/3 vote requirement for

Last night Congressman Jay Inslee did an interview with TVW’s Austin Jenkins discussing his positions as a candidate for Governor. Among the policies discussed were Inslee’s position on tax increases and whether the voter-approved 2/3 vote requirement for tax increases is constitutional. Here is the video of that interview queued up to the conversation on those issues: Cliff notes version: