Initiatives to the Legislature: Three passed, three go to the ballot in November
Fed up with the destructive and burdensome policies passed by the Democrat majority in the Washington State Legislature, citizens collected more than 2.3 million signatures to put six initiatives before the Legislature. All six received more than 400,000 signatures each and were certified by the Washington State Secretary of State in January and February of 2024.
Only three of the initiatives received a hearing and a vote. In three strong, bipartisan votes, the Legislature passed the following:
- I-2081: Parents’ notification in K-12 public education
- I-2111: Banning a personal income tax
- I-2113: Restoring the standard for vehicular pursuit to “reasonable suspicion”
Majority Democrats refused to give hearings to the remaining three initiatives, so they will go the ballot in November.
- I-2109: Repeal the income tax on capital gains
- I-2117: Repeal the hidden gas tax
- I-2124: Repeal the “long-term care” payroll tax
Click below to access information about each of the six initiatives.
NOTE: No updates or changes will be made to this webpage or the individual webpages for each initiative from March 7, 2024, until after the election in November, as per state law. Similarly, no updates or changes will be made to any content linked to from these webpages from March 7, 2024 until after the November election.
The policies behind three initiatives to the Legislature that majority Democrats ignored, but will appear on the November ballot
Listen
In this episode of the Elephant in the Dome podcast, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, talk about the remaining three initiatives that will go to the ballot in November.
FACT CHECK: Will repealing the income tax on capital gains “devastate” basic education? No.
The Legislature has a spending problem, not a revenue problem
Initiatives to the Legislature
Initiative 2081
Support parental rights in public education
Initiative 2109
Repeal the income tax on capital gains
Initiative 2111
Banning an income tax in Washington
Initiative 2113
Restoring the “reasonable suspicion” standard for police pursuit
Initiative 2117
Stop the hidden gas tax
Initiative 2124
Opt out of long-term care payroll tax
Legislative History: Initiative funders since 1998
2024
- I-2111 Forbidding an Income Tax
- I-2113 Allowing Reasonable Police Pursuit of Criminals
- I-2081 Parental Notification
- I-2124 Making So-Called Long Term Care Payroll Tax Voluntary
- I-2109 Repeal Capital Gains Income Tax
- I-2117 Overturn Cap & Tax/Stop the Hidden Gas Tax
FUNDING for all six: Brian Heywood (Taiyo Pacific Partners)
2018
- I-1639 Semiautomatic rifles defined as “assault” rifles. Increased purchase age from 18 to 21. 10 day waiting period. Expanded background checks. Storage requirements.
FUNDING: Paul Allen (Microsoft), Steve Ballmer (Microsoft), Nick Hanauer (WA Alliance for Gun Responsibility)
2018
- I-1631 Fee on carbon emitters. Defeated 56.56% NO, 43.44% YES.
FUNDING: Nature Conservancy; Bill Gates; Michael Bloomberg
2016
- I-1433 “Incrementally raising the state’s minimum wage from $9.47 to $13.50 by 2020 and mandated that employers offer paid sick leave.
FUNDING: Nick Hanauer (Seattle’s Civic Ventures)
2016
- I-732 Carbon Tax and Sales Tax Reduction. 59.25% NO, 40.75% YES. Designed to be budget neutral so supporters on both sides.
FUNDING: Peter Kelly, Laura Arnold (Texas billionaire/Enron), John Arnold (Texas billionaire/Enron), Menno van Wyk (One Trail/Montrail), The Durst Organization (NY family real estate empire), David Guiliani (Seattle Engineer/Sonicare)
2014
- I-594 Expanded gun background checks
FUNDING: Nick Hanauer (Alliance for Gun Responsibility), Michael Bloomberg (Everytown for Gun Safety), Paul Allen (Microsoft), Steve Balmer (Microsoft), Connie Balmer (Microsoft), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Melinda Gates (Microsoft), Anny Wyckoff (PACCAR)
2012
- I-502 Legalizing marijuana.
FUNDING: Drug Policy Alliance (NYC); Peter Lewis (Progressive Insurance); ACLU
2010
- I-1098 Establishing a state income tax and reducing other taxes. NO 64.15%, YES 35.85%
FUNDING: SEIU (WA); SEIU (D.C.); NEA (D.C.); Bill Gates, Sr.; Ann Wyckoff (PACCAR)
1998
- I-692 Medical Marijuana
FUNDING: George Soros, John Sperling (University of Phoenix), Peter Lewis (Progressive Insurance)
Listen
Democrats kill Sen. Jeff Wilson's bill to protect signature gatherers
https://ow.ly/zeZ350QwUyOThe latest on six initiatives to the Legislature
Sen. John Braun talks to Northwest Newsradio about Democrats' willingness to give only half of the initiatives a hearing
The Seattle Times Says…
Regardless, the Democrats should hold committee hearings — and soon — on all the initiatives for two reasons. First, debating their merits in such a hearing would provide a public vetting before what is likely to be a contentious campaign season leading up to fall’s general election. Major public policies are on the line, including the state’s landmark cap-and-trade system and a new capital gains tax funding education programs. Surely, Democratic leaders are not reticent to defend them. This editorial board strongly supported the former, although clearly it needs some legislative improvement, and opposed the latter.
Second, the Legislature has options to adopt any of the initiatives, not act and let the measure appear on the ballot or propose an alternative to also go on the ballot. Lawmakers also have an opportunity to show responsiveness to citizens who signed, exercising their right to open a formal conversation with elected representatives. For instance, adopting the initiative to roll back the state’s unpopular pursuit law could bring together a coalition of lawmakers to pass it.
Citizen Initiatives are Direct Democracy
Some majority Democrats have argued recently that legislators who support the initiatives to the Legislature are undermining Democracy. This is ironic, given that the initiative is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. And Washington has the initiative process thanks to a vote of the people.
Sometimes, citizens bring initiatives forward because they don’t like what representative democracy has done on their behalf. That is what we have this year with the six initiatives to the Legislature. More than 2.3 million signatures were collected, and then validated by the Secretary of State.
There is no more pure form of Democracy than the people rising up to tell their elected officials “you got it wrong.” And now that the initiatives are certified, it is our constitutional and moral duty to give them each a hearing. That is what we are calling for — for majority Democrats to let the people speak on the initiatives while they are before the Legislature. #ListenToThePeople
Watch: The year the people fight back
Constitutional Priority
From Article II, Section I of the Washington Constitution: “Such initiative measures, whether certified or provisionally certified, shall take precedence over all other measures in the legislature except appropriation bills and shall be either enacted or rejected without change or amendment by the legislature before the end of such regular session.”