Proposed Initiatives to the People - 2007

Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 953 concerns tax and fee increases imposed by state government.

This measure would require two-thirds legislative approval or voter approval for tax increases, legislative approval of fee increases, certain published information on tax-increasing bills, and advisory votes on taxes enacted without voter approval.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require either a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature or voter approval for all tax increases. New or increased fees would require prior legislative approval. An advisory vote would be required on any new or increased taxes enacted by the legislature without voter approval. The office of financial management would be required to publish cost information and information regarding legislators’ voting records on bills imposing or increasing taxes or fees.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 954 concerns tax and fee increases imposed by state government.

This measure would require two-thirds legislative approval or voter approval for tax increases, legislative approval of fee increases, certain published information on tax-increasing bills, and advisory votes on taxes enacted without voter approval.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require either a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature or voter approval for all tax increases. New or increased fees would require prior legislative approval. An advisory vote would be required on any new or increased taxes enacted by the legislature without voter approval. The office of financial management would be required to publish cost information and information regarding legislators’ voting records on bills imposing or increasing taxes or fees.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 955 concerns a process to provide citizens’ opinions to governments.

This measure would establish a network of citizen councilors, coordinated by the state auditor’s office, where volunteers would meet in small groups and share their opinions on topics of public interest for tabulation.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would establish a network of citizen councilors to engage in dialogue on topics of public importance. Topics would be periodically identified by the state auditor based on special questionnaires sent to citizens who choose to participate, plus suggestions from public officials. The program would be coordinated through the state auditor’s office, would encourage citizen volunteers to meet in small groups, and develop opinions. Opinions would be tabulated with funding by donations and subscriptions.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 956 concerns long-term care services.

This measure would increase training for long-term care providers, require certain training by labor-management partnerships, and require the governor to bargain training costs with provider representatives and request legislative funding of agreed costs.

Ballot Measure Summary
his measure would increase training for providers of long-term care services for the elderly or persons with disabilities. It would require new providers to obtain 150 hours of initial training and 12 hours per year thereafter, beginning January 1, 2009. It would require the governor to bargain with worker representatives over training costs. Training for publicly-funded care workers would be provided through labor-management partnerships. Training costs from bargaining agreements must receive legislative approval and funding.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 957 concerns eligibility for marriage.

This measure would limit marriage to those couples who are biologically capable of having children together, and would invalidate the marriages of couples who fail to procreate children within three years after marrying.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would restrict marriage to a male and a female who are capable of having children together. Couples would be required to declare their ability to procreate children together in order to obtain marriage licenses. If a couple failed to procreate children within three years of marriage, their marriage would be subject to annulment. All other marriages would be defined as “unrecognized.” Persons in unrecognized marriages would be ineligible to receive any marriage benefits.

Withdrawn By Sponsor

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 958 concerns cutting trees and brush.

This measure would allow cutting trees or vegetation on private property within 100 feet of the owner’s home, building, building site, or utility line on the property, without fees, licenses, permits or fines.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would declare that property owners have the right to cut down trees or trim brush or other vegetation located within an individual property owner’s property lines, and limited to a distance of 100 feet from the property owner’s home, other buildings on the property, planned building sites, or utility lines located over or under the property, without being encumbered or regulated by fees, licenses, permits or fines from state or local government.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 959 concerns giving notice of insolvency proceedings.

This measure would require businesses to notify employees when filing insolvency proceedings, including bankruptcy, and authorize civil penalties, damages and attorney fees for failure to notify employees, absent employee forgiveness or certain prayer.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require notice to all employees when a business seeks liquidation or reorganization in a receivership, bankruptcy or other insolvency proceeding. Employers operating as domestic or foreign businesses within Washington would be required to notify their employees when they file insolvency proceedings. Anyone willfully or unintentionally failing to provide such notice would be subject to payment of civil penalties, actual damages and attorney fees, absent employee forgiveness or certain employer prayer.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 960 concerns tax and fee increases imposed by state government.

This measure would require two-thirds legislative approval or voter approval for tax increases, legislative approval of fee increases, certain published information on tax-increasing bills, and advisory votes on taxes enacted without voter approval.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require either a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature or voter approval for all tax increases. New or increased fees would require prior legislative approval. An advisory vote would be required on any new or increased taxes enacted by the legislature without voter approval. The office of financial management would be required to publish cost information and information regarding legislators’ voting records on bills imposing or increasing taxes or fees.

*Certified to the Ballot on 19 July, 2007*

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 961 concerns telephone disclosure and privacy.

This measure would restrict certain telephone solicitation practices, including: prohibiting the blocking of a business caller’s identity, establishing a state “no call” list, and providing for regulation by the utilities and transportation commission.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would restrict the making of telephone calls for solicitation purposes, where the call is uninvited and the caller expects compensation or gain as a result of the call. Business callers would be prohibited from blocking or falsifying their identities. A state “no call” list would be established in coordination with the national list. The utilities and transportation commission would be authorized to establish the list, to investigate complaints, and impose penalties for violations.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 962 concerns prohibiting “dangerous” initiatives and referendums.

This measure would prohibit “dangerous” ballot measures, require sponsors to research the effects of their measures, prohibit certain donations and payments, authorize criminal penalties, and authorize an unspecified tax increase if necessary.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would prohibit “dangerous” initiatives and referendums, and require sponsors to research the effects of measures and provide that research to state officials to determine which measures to exclude from the ballot or signature collection. It also would provide for criminal penalties and prohibit anybody convicted of violating this initiative from ever proposing another initiative or referendum, prohibit donations from “special interest groups” or non-state residents, and authorize a tax increase if necessary.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 963 concerns amendments to the law against discrimination.

This measure would amend the law against discrimination by removing all references providing coverage against discrimination based on “sexual orientation” in employment, housing, public accommodations, insurance, and credit transactions.

Ballot Measure Summary
The law against discrimination prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, credit, insurance, and certain contracts because of a person’s race, creed, color, national origin, sex, or sexual orientation, or because of sensory, mental or physical disability. This measure would amend the law against discrimination by removing “sexual orientation” or “sexual preference” as a basis for protection against discrimination. “Sexual orientation” as defined in current law includes heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, gender expression, gender identity, appearance, and behavior.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 964 concerns review of an option to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct.

This measure would require the Department of Transportation to review proposed construction of a floating bridge to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct on State Route 99, and report its feasibility to the governor.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require the Department of Transportation to review replacing the Alaska Way Viaduct on State Route 99 with a floating bridge on Elliott Bay. The floating bridge would extend from the northern tip of Harbor Island to the Battery Street Tunnel and Wall Street. The Department would review cost-effective strategies for timely construction and funding sources for the project. The Department would submit a feasibility report to the governor within one year.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 965 concerns the death penalty.

This measure would allow the death penalty for importing, manufacturing, delivering, or possessing with intent to manufacture or deliver certain illegal drugs, or for committing certain violations relating to the conduct of elections.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would allow prosecuting attorneys to request the death penalty for certain drug offenses and for certain violations of the election laws, including:

• Importing, manufacturing, delivering, or possessing with intent to manufacture or deliver, certain specified controlled substances;
• Delivering illegal drugs to minors;
• Campaigning near a polling place on election day;
• Interfering with the exercise of the voting franchise;
• Deceiving voters or recording their votes with faulty election equipment.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 966 concerns identity, eligibility and immigration status verification for public benefits’ applicants.

This measure would require state and local government employees to verify identity and eligibility status of applicants for non-federally mandated public benefits using specified identification methods, report immigration violations or face misdemeanor penalty.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require state and local government employees to verify the identity, eligibility and immigration status of every applicant for non-federally mandated public benefits. Identification cards, including driver’s licenses, issued without verification of immigration status would not be accepted to establish identity or eligibility. Failure to report immigration violations to federal officials would be a misdemeanor. Private suits to remedy violations would be authorized.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 967 concerns electronic voting.

This measure would provide that no law, ordinance, rule, government budget, or state Supreme Court decision would be official unless you vote on it using software specified in the text of the measure.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would provide that no law, ordinance, or rule anywhere in the state, no government budget, and no state Supreme Court decision would be official unless you vote on it using software specified in the text of the measure. The measure declares that government voting at state, county, and city levels would be outsourced to a private business named in the measure. The measure declares that all major government decisions would require citizen voting.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 968 concerns patient care by physicians and dentists.

This measure would require adoption of standard care levels and checklists for physicians’ and dentists’ patients to sign, and revoke the licenses of physicians and dentists who do not submit completed checklists daily.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require the medical quality assurance commission and dental quality assurance commission to establish, by rule, checklists to be signed by patients, showing that their physician or dentist complied with certain patient care standards. The physician or dentist must file the checklists with the state electronically daily. The license to practice medicine or dentistry of any physician or dentist who fails to obtain such signatures must be revoked.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 969 concerns online government performance ratings.

This measure would provide that no government promotion or firing would be permitted without performance audits, trends, and job performance ratings by the public and maintained online at a designated private website.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would provide that no government promotions or firings would be permitted without performance audits, trends, and ratings by the public. Performance audits, trends, and ratings would be maintained on the internet at a designated private website. Performance trends would include a six-month history of job performance.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 970 concerns long-term care services for the elderly and persons with disabilities.

This measure would require increased training and certification for long-term care workers, with labor-management partnerships providing certain training, and the governor bargaining with worker representatives for training costs, and requesting agreed legislative funding.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require increased training and certification for long-term care workers. It would require new providers to obtain 150 hours of training and 12 hours per year thereafter, beginning January 1, 2009. Certification would be administered by the state. It would require the governor to bargain with worker representatives over training costs. Training for publicly-funded care workers would be provided through labor-management partnerships. Training costs from bargaining agreements must receive legislative approval and funding.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 971 concerns treatment of criminals.

This measure would declare that criminals who cause human physical injury or death would get no mercy whatsoever, with advanced technology evidence collection (like cell phone photography) and location tracking (with GPS chips).

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would declare that criminals are accountable for their own judgments in life. Criminals who cause human physical injury, or death, would get no mercy whatsoever, anywhere, with advanced technology evidence collection (like cell phone photography) and location tracking (with GPS chips). The measure proposes to eliminate probation and early release, reduce the tolerable alcohol level for drivers to zero, make certain technological evidence admissible in court, and require the installation of GPS chips.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 972 concerns establishing a universal health care system.

This measure would establish a department of universal health care to operate a health care system for all legal residents and qualifying non-residents, to be funded by the state and by patient co payments.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would establish a department of universal health care, with a director appointed by the governor. The department would operate a health care system for all legal residents and qualifying non-residents. It would pay medically necessary expenses, but would not cover elective surgery, herbal supplements, or unapproved drugs. Co-payments would be required. The program would be funded by the state and replace existing health services provided by the department of social and health services.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 973 concerns long-term care services for the elderly and persons with disabilities.

This measure would require increased training, certification, and certain public funding for long term care workers. Labor-management partnerships would provide certain training. The governor would negotiate training costs with worker representatives for legislative approval.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require increased training, mentorship, background checks, and certification for long-term care workers. New providers would obtain 150 hours of training and 12 hours annually thereafter, beginning January 1, 2009. The governor would bargain with worker representatives over training costs. Agreed costs would be submitted for legislative approval and funding. Labor-management partnerships would provide publicly funded training for represented workers. The state would administer mandatory state and federal criminal background checks and certification.

Withdrawn by Sponsor

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 974 concerns suits for damages.

This measure would prohibit Washington state courts from awarding money damages for non-monetary losses, including pain and suffering, but would permit awarding punitive damages, with at least 80% paid to certain charitable organizations.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would prohibit Washington state courts from awarding money damages for non-economic losses, including pain and suffering; but would allow monetary awards for punitive damages, as defined. No less than 80% of punitive damage awards would be paid to charities designated by the plaintiff, and meeting certain requirements. Recipient charitable organizations would be audited to determine whether money or benefits are gifted back to the plaintiff, and would be subject to penalties for violations.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 975 concerns compulsory voter registration.

This measure would require that everybody who is legally eligible to vote in Washington must register to vote, and would require registration when applying for or renewing a driver’s license, with certain exceptions.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require that everybody eligible to vote in Washington must register to vote. Voter registration, or updating an existing registration, would be compulsory every time a person applies for, or renews, a driver’s license or state identification card, except for those under age eighteen, convicted felons, incarcerated prisoners, and members of the military stationed overseas, and the option not to register would be eliminated from certain forms.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 976 concerns trading in special influence

This measure would elevate the crime of “trading in special influence” from a class C felony to a class A felony, and address standards for a court to apply when sentencing those convicted.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would elevate the criminal offense known as, “trading in special influence” from a class C felony to a class A felony. It would also amend the statute listing criminal offenses and assigning them to a “seriousness level” for use in deciding upon the length of a sentence, assigning this offense the same seriousness level as homicide by abuse, malicious explosion in the first degree, and murder in the first degree.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 977 concerns motor vehicle licenses

This measure would repeal certain motor vehicle license laws, including license tab renewal fees. The Department of Revenue would be required to increase the fuel tax to offset license fee losses.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would repeal certain motor vehicle licensing laws. It would repeal certain fees associated with a vehicle’s license, other than initial registration. Initial valid registrations would remain valid without a renewal requirement. The Department of Licensing would annually report fees that would otherwise have been collected but for their repeal. The Department of Revenue would be required to raise fuel taxes to offset the reported lost fees in an equal amount.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 978 concerns operating motor vehicles.

This measure would require drivers to respond to merge signs by immediately merging into the appropriate lane without passing other vehicles. Violators would be fined $50 for every vehicle passed without merging.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require the driver of a motor vehicle, when instructed to merge by an appropriate sign or marking on the roadway, to immediately merge into the adjacent, appropriate lane of travel without passing any motor vehicles. Violators would be fined $50 for every motor vehicle passed when the driver of a motor vehicle has failed to immediately merge when instructed.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 979 concerns firearm safety.

This measure would require any person applying for a concealed pistol license to attend a firearm safety class before receiving the permit, and would impose penalties for making false statements about class attendance.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require any person applying to carry a concealed pistol license to attend a firearm safety class before receiving the license from the local sheriff or chief of police. A person who knowingly makes a false statement regarding attending a firearm safety class on an application for a concealed pistol license would be subject to a fine of five hundred dollars.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 980 concerns embryo transfers as an alternative to abortion

This measure would establish a program paying 90% of the cost of embryo transfers as an abortion alternative, appropriating $1 million for this purpose, and providing a penalty for fraudulently obtaining such funds.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require the Department of Health to adopt rules establishing a program to allow payment of up to ninety percent of the cost of an embryo transfer as an alternative to abortion, appropriate $1 million for that purpose, and provide a civil penalty of five times the amount of funds received for anybody who obtains funds under this program through fraud.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 981 concerns communications between elected officials and lobbyists.

This measure would require lobbyists to pay a $1000 registration fee and file recordings of communications with elected officials, and would provide criminal and civil penalties for certain acts by lobbyists and officials.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require the Public Disclosure Commission to collect a $1000 registration fee from anyone initially registering as a lobbyist. Any lobbyist would be required to file with the commission a verbatim transcript or recording of any communication with an elected official, and would be subject to monetary penalties for failing to do so. Elected officials and lobbyists would be subject to fines and imprisonment for attempting to mislead the public concerning their communications.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 982 concerns wage compensation.

This measure would require additional compensation for employees working certain weekday and weekend hours, as described, at not less than 5% to 10% over their regular employment wage rate.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would require compensation for employees at not less than 5% over their regular wage rate for weekday work performed after 9:00 p.m. or before 5:00 a.m. Work performed on weekends between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. would be compensated at not less than 5% over their regular wage rate. Work performed on weekends after 9:00 p.m. or before 5:00 a.m. would be compensated at not less than 10% over their regular wage rate.

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Ballot Title
Initiative Measure No. 983 concerns penalties for lying about war.

This measure would define the crime of lying about war, and would make this a felony punishable by life imprisonment without possibility of parole if death or injury to a Washington citizen results.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would define the crime of “lying about war” as knowingly making a false or misleading statement to the country or its elected representatives in order to convince the country to go to war or to remain in an ongoing war, if the statement results in death or injury to a citizen of Washington state. Lying about war would be a class A felony and punishable by life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

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Initiative Subject
Relating to Universal Health Care

Inactive

Initiative Subject
Relating to payday loans

Inactive

Initiative Subject
Relating to lying to the country

Inactive

Initiative Subject
Relating to the Geneva Convention

Inactive

Initiative Subject
Relating to fines

Inactive

Initiative Subject
Relating to Torture

Inactive

Initiative Subject
Relating to major political parties

Inactive