Orcutt proposes constitutional amendments to protect taxpayers

'A state spending limit and a two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes are two important ideas that need constitutional protections,' says Orcutt

Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, introduced two constitutional amendments today to protect taxpayers and provide strict parameters for future state budgets.

"With the death of our state's previous spending limit, Initiative 601, we've seen what happens when the Legislature has no set parameters for spending taxpayer dollars," Orcutt said, referencing Washington's 33 percent spending increase over the last four years. "We're in the middle of a $6 billion deficit that is due, in part, to the fact that the Legislature refused to live within its means and went around specific parameters of state population and inflation increases."

Orcutt's first proposal, House Joint Resolution 4207, would establish a state spending limit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010. The fiscal limit mirrors the original language found in the voter-approved Initiative 601 by limiting expenditures to an increase in the state's population and inflation growth over the previous three years.

"If lawmakers had stayed true to the spirit and provisions of Initiative 601, we would certainly not be in the same situation we're in today," said Orcutt, the ranking Republican on the House Finance Committee. "The budget hole we're in now would have been much more manageable."

Orcutt's second proposal, House Joint Resolution 4208, would require a two-thirds vote of both legislative bodies for any tax increase.

"The voters of this state want protections from tax increases by their elected officials," Orcutt said. "They voted for Initiative 601 in 1993 and then reaffirmed their desire for a two-thirds vote with the passing of Initiative 960 in 2007."

Orcutt said he fears the Legislature will soon undo the two-thirds voter requirement found in Initiative 960.

"The law says the Legislature can make alterations to an initiative after two years," Orcutt said. "Next year, a simple majority vote by the Legislature can be used to bypass a two-thirds vote requirement. Talk about a loophole!

"A state spending limit and a two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes are two important ideas that need constitutional protections," Orcutt said.

Amendments to the state constitution require a two-thirds vote in the Legislature and then approval by voters at the next general election.