From the office of Rep. Steve Bergquist

The initiative process is the direct power of the people to enact new or change existing laws. It allows you, the voters, to propose legislation.

There are two types of initiatives: Initiatives to the People and Initiatives to the Legislature.'

Initiatives to the Legislature are submitted to the Legislature at its regular session each January. Once submitted, the Legislature must take one of the following three actions:
  1. The Legislature may adopt the initiative as proposed and it becomes law without a vote of the people;
  2. The Legislature may reject or refuse to act on the proposed initiative and the initiative must be placed on the ballot at the next state general election; or
  3. The Legislature may propose a different measure dealing with the same subject and both measures must be placed on the next state general election ballot.
This session, we considered six (6) Initiatives to the Legislature, passing three (3) and refusing to act on three (3).

Please indicate how you would have preferred the Legislature act on each of the following initiatives by choosing 'Pass,' 'Reject,' or 'Propose an Alternative.'

Question Title

* 1. Initiative 2081 creates a "parents' bill of rights" that states what information a parent of a child in public school is entitled to, including instructional materials.

Question Title

* 2. Initiative 2109 repeals Washington's capital gains excise tax.

The Capital Gains Excise Tax is a 7% tax on profits from the sale of certain long-term assets, including stocks and bonds, expensive art, large profitable businesses, and other high-valued assets. The first $250,000 in profit is exempt, and the tax includes several exemptions to avoid taxing working families, including exemptions for primary residences, retirement accounts, etc. Revenues from the tax fund early learning, child care, K-12 education, school construction, and more in the education space.

Question Title

* 3. Initiative 2111 would prohibit state and local governments from imposing an income tax. Washington state does not have an income tax, and one has not been proposed.

Question Title

* 4. Initiative 2113 rolls back restrictions on when police can chase suspects. The Legislature passed policing policy reform measures in 2021 amid concerns of the dangers of police pursuits. Some restrictions were rolled back in 2023, and this initiative further removes restrictions to allow police to chase people if they have "reasonable suspicion."

Question Title

* 5. Initiative 2117 repeals the Climate Commitment Act.

The Legislature passed the Climate Commitment Act in 2021 to educe carbon emissions and set Washington on a path to meet its statutory goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The cap and invest (cap and trade) system established by the Climate Commitment Act will set an overall cap on greenhouse gas emissions with specific limits for individual businesses. Those businesses must purchase credits (allowances) for their allowed emissions, which they can then buy and sell. Businesses that emit fewer greenhouse gases than their allotted credits can sell their credits to businesses that have not been able to reduce their emissions as quickly, allowing the economy to dynamically adapt while meeting the state’s overall carbon reduction goals. The overall pool of allowances would be steadily reduced to meet the state’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The cap on emissions only applies to businesses that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually (roughly 100 entities). As the pool of allowances is reduced over time, businesses compete to buy allowances at auctions, generating revenue for the state. That money is then invested into the Climate Emission Reduction Account for transportation projects that reduce carbon emissions and the Climate Investment Account for green infrastructure projects, projects that increase resilience in natural and working lands, and assistance for affected workers and low income people to transition to a clean energy economy.

Question Title

* 6. Initiative 2124 allows for an opt-out of Washington's long-term care retirement program, which would effectively end the program.

The vast majority of Washingtonians don't have long-term care insurance policies or enough savings to pay for the care they will need as they age. Even those who do have private long-term care policies can find themselves struggling when benefits are delayed or denied. The long-term care program, also known as the WA Cares Fund, was established in 2019 to address this looming crisis.

Question Title

* 7. Which 11th LD community do you live in?

Question Title

* 8. Your responses are anonymous, so if you'd like a personal reply:
    1. Send me an email; or
    2. Leave your name and phone number (optional)

T