Weblog
September 23, 2003
After negotiations with the Attorney General, we got a revised ballot title and ballot summary for the test-run initiative we filed last month. (See below for the original version.) Here's what the negotiations produced:
Ballot title: [Statement of subject:] Initiative Measure No. 308 concerns regulation of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture. [Concise description:] This measure would regulate pesticide and fertilizer use in agriculture through new reporting requirements, earmarking certain funds for pesticide and fertilizer reduction, limiting tax exemptions for pesticides and fertilizers, and establishing a commission. [Question:] Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes / No
Ballot summary: This measure would direct the department of ecology to establish a pesticide use reporting system. A nine-member commission would be established to oversee efforts to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use. All retail sales and use taxes on pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture, together with certain other funds, would be placed in a new account in the state treasury, earmarked for this program. Certain tax exemptions for pesticides and fertilizers would be narrowed or eliminated.
September 12, 2003
Today we got the Attorney General's ballot title and ballot summary for the test-run initiative we filed last month! The ballot title consists of a statement of subject, a concise description, and a question; the ballot summary is just that, a summary. Here's what the AG came up with:
Ballot title: [Statement of subject:] Initiative Measure No. 308 concerns regulation of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture. [Concise description:] This measure would regulate the use of pesticides and fertilizers on farms through new reporting requirements, establishing a commission, earmarking certain tax revenue for pesticide and fertilizer reduction, and eliminating certain tax exemptions.[Question:] Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes / No
Ballot summary: This measure would direct the department of ecology to adopt rules establishing a pesticide use reporting system. A nine-member commission would be established to oversee and guide efforts to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use. All retail sales and use taxes on pesticides and fertilizers used by farmers, together with certain other funds, would be placed in a new account in the state treasury, earmarked for this program. Certain tax exemptions would be narrowed or eliminated.
The next step involves potential challenges to the ballot title, which can be filed by us (or anybody else) within the next week. Details about the process can be found in the "Documents about the initiative process" section of the document archive. Note in particular that there are length limitations: the ballot title consists of (i) a statement of subject such as "Initiative Measure No. XX concerns [ ]", with the brackets containing no more than 10 words; (ii) a concise description such as "This measure would [ ]", with the brackets containing no more than 30 words; and (iii) a question such as "Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes / No". The ballot summary describes the measure in no more than 75 words.
September 5, 2003
Today we submitted final ballot language to the Secretary of State. By Friday the 12th we will have a ballot number and an official ballot title.
September 1, 2003
The Washington State Code Reviser has given us their suggested ballot language. Their modifications to our original proposal (see below) mostly concern legal technicalities, and are only suggestions. We now have two weeks to submit final ballot language.
August 20, 2003
We filed an initiative! Check out the official listing on the Secretary of State's website or read the full text of the draft initiative. (This is a draft, so please email us if you have comments or suggestions.) Thanks to Jennifer Dold and David Bricklin of Bricklin Newman Dold LLP for their pro bono legal advice!
This is a test run, so we are not printing petitions or gathering signatures for this initiative. (That will happen in January 2004, when we file "for real".) The reasons for filing this initiative are (1) to become familiar with the process, (2) to have something tangible to use for gathering feedback, asking for endorsements &etc, and (3) to get an official ballot title that we can use for strategic planning.
Next steps: The draft initiative will be reviewed by the Code Reviser and the Attorney General's office. This process will last a few weeks, and at the end we'll have an official ballot number and an official ballot title.