First initiative makes it on November ballot

An initiative intended to make it tougher for the state Legislature to increase taxes, and for state agencies to increase fees, will appear on the November ballot.

Secretary of State Sam Reed announced today that Initiative 960 obtained enough signatures to put before voters.

I-960 is sponsored by Tim Eyman, who earns a living trying to pass ballot measures.

Opponents have already started a campaign to defeat the measure, which they contend would cause gridlock in the Legislature.

Eyman says the initiative would reinforce a law that requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate and House to pass certain tax increases. Any tax increase also would be placed on the ballot for a public advisory vote.

In addition, the measure would require the Legislature to approve any state agency fee increases. Currently, agencies can increase fees on their own as long as they don't exceed limits set by state law.

The initiative also requires additional public notification when the Legislature considers tax bills, and a 10-year estimate of the costs.

Reed said initiative sponsors submitted a total of 314,504 petition signatures. It needed about 225,000 valid signatures to go before voters.

I-960 is the only state initiative to qualify for the November ballot.