Article by Erik Smith. Published on Friday, May 15, 2011 EST.
Initiative Season Finally Begins as First Paid Signature Gatherer of Year Shows Up at Lacey Wal-Mart – Also Bears Petitions for Eyman, Chickens
Washington state’s initiative season gets its official launch as the first signature gatherer makes an appearance at the Lacey Wal-Mart. Kicking off the season is Tim Caplis of Helena, Montana.
By Erik Smith
Staff writer/ Washington State Wire
OLYMPIA, May 13.—The first paid signature gatherer of 2011 showed up at the Lacey Wal-Mart Thursday night, offering what might be called the official launch of initiative season and clearing up one of the biggest mysteries of the year – SEIU appears to be going after the out-of-state sales tax exemption.
Without fanfare, a kick-off news conference, or even a press release, the politically powerful labor union has launched a campaign for an initiative that would eliminate the tax break for Alaska, Alberta, Oregon, and Montana residents who purchase goods in Washington. It also would impose the sales tax on bill collectors.
Initiative 1167 aims to restore cuts to the state home-care program that were approved by the Legislature in December. It also would reinstate the home-care training requirements imposed by another initiative in 2008 – just in case the Legislature eliminates or delays them this year.
It is one of two initiatives the Service Employees International Union is pushing. The other initiative, I-1163, restores the training program, but doesn’t deal with the home-care cuts, and doesn’t sacrifice a business tax break to pay for it.
Though Public Disclosure Commission records show the union has transferred $500,000 to the campaign account, union spokesman Adam Glickman said it hasn’t made a final decision whether to push all the way. That depends on what the Legislature does during its current special legislative session.
“We’ve not made any decisions but are just testing the waters on a couple possible initiatives, including one to simply re-instate the voter approved training, certification, and criminal background check provisions of Initiative 1029,” he said. “Our final decisions will depend on how deeply the legislature shreds the long-term care safety net for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities and how disproportionately they slash benefits for home care workers, thousands of whom are facing not only a 10 percent reduction in hours and pay but also elimination of affordable health benefits and the elimination of a career path to middle-class jobs.”
Major Issue for Southwest Washington
By going after the out-of-state sales tax break, SEIU is targeting an exemption that is seen as critically important by retailers in border counties. It applies to residents of all states and provinces with low or no sales taxes. To qualify, all they have to do is flash a driver’s license at the cash register. Practically speaking, the beneficiaries are residents of Alaska, Alberta, Oregon and Montana, where no sales taxes are imposed, and the Washington merchants who sell to them.
The tax break is especially important in Bellingham, Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, which see big numbers of out-of-state shoppers. Last week the Association of Southwest Washington Business Leaders reported that some merchants in that area get 18 to 25 percent of their business from Oregon residents.
The unheralded launch for the repeal effort comes one day after the state House abandoned its own effort to eliminate the tax break. Now it looks like the Vancouver chamber may have breathed a sigh of relief a bit too soon.
Clears Up Big Mystery
The arrival of the signature gatherer, Tim Caplis of Helena, Montana, answers a question that has been asked by virtually every business lobbyist at the statehouse: Which tax break is SEIU going to target?
The union filed a whopping 19 initiatives with the secretary of state’s office last month, all of them dealing with the state home care program. The union represents all of the state’s 40,000 home-care workers. The initiatives offered endless variations on the same proposition, some of them also restoring cuts to other programs like the state basic health plan and mental health.
And unlike its home-care training initiative of 2008, I-1029, some of the measures offered a way to pay for themselves. Some offered up a 35-cent cigarette tax, others targeted the property tax exemption for private planes.
And so SEIU’s next move has been one of the most closely watched and anticipated development for anyone with an interest at stake. When the transfer of funds showed up in PDC records last week, it appeared clear that something big was just around the corner. It showed that SEIU Local 775 had given a half-million dollars to the People for Quality Efficient and Accountable Home Care, an initiative-campaign committee. But the campaign-finance report didn’t mention which initiative it would be pushing.
Insiders have been watching the Wal-Mart ever since. It is the highest-volume signature gathering location in Thurston County, and the first place paid signature gatherers hit. To make the ballot, an initiative needs a daunting 241,000 signatures by July. When the first of the signature gatherers arrives in shows up at the Lacey Wal-Mart, initiative season can truly be said to have begun.
Carries Two Other Initiatives
Actually, Caplis carried four initiatives, the two from SEIU, one from initiative promoter Tim Eyman, and one that aims to force farmers to be nice to chickens.
Initiative 1130 would prohibit chicken ranchers from confining egg-laying hens in cages that restrict the hens’ movement. Their eggs couldn’t be sold, either.
Meanwhile, the Eyman initiative is no surprise. Eyman has been touting Initiative 1125 for more than a week. That measure would require the Legislature to set tolls for bridges and highways, rather than allowing lawmakers to delegate the power to the state Transportation Commission. It would reinforce the 18th amendment to the state constitution, which says that gas-tax and toll money has to be spent for highways and ferries. And the measure would require that toll money be spent on the particular project where money is collected – meaning it would block plans to put tolls on the I-90 floating bridge to pay for a new Highway 520 bridge on Lake Washington.
“Definitely the start of initiative season is here,” Eyman said. “Chickens, the elderly and tolls. It’s an interesting combination. It’s that time of year again, and the initiative process is alive and well. Washington voters should be able to sift through them and decide which ones they like and don’t like, but just about all voters want the chance to decide.”Your support matters.
Public service journalism is important today as ever. If you get something from our coverage, please consider making a donation to support our work. Thanks for reading our stuff.