OLYMPIA (AP) — The Senate has passed a measure that would require voters’ ballots to note the potential financial impact of initiatives.
Senate Bill 5715, sponsored by Republican Sen. Joe Fain, passed on a strongly bipartisan 41-8 vote and now heads to the House for consideration. It seeks to include the potential fiscal impact of the measure on the actual ballot if it costs or reduces spending by more than $25 million over two years. The wording on the ballot would tell voters that “other state spending may need to be reduced or taxes increased to implement the proposal.
The measure would take effect on Jan. 1.
The bill follows the passage of Initiative 1351 in November — a measure that would decrease class sizes and is projected to cost about $2 billion through the middle of 2017.
