OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — As state lawmakers push forward into tough budget negotiations, they are proposing a stack of “title only” bills relating to a wide range of budget issues.
Democratic Sen. Ed Murray of Seattle, one of the lead budget writers, on Wednesday introduced 22 bills with only a brief sentence indicating what each would do.
Lawmakers say title only bills provide flexibility, while helping them avoid missing deadlines.
But the Washington Policy Center, a conservative watchdog group, condemns title-only bills as a way lawmakers can slip bills through the hearing process without public disclosure or commentary.
The center’s Jason Mercier says four bills, relating to “the creation of revenue and taxation acts,” are the most troubling, as they could be used to increase taxes.
