Three of the six initiatives to get hearings

OLYMPIA — Relenting to pressure from residents statewide, three initiatives will be get hearings before the Legislature.

The Legislature will debate I-2113 on reasonable police pursuit, I-2081 on codifying parental rights in their child’s education and I-2111 on prohibiting a state income tax, Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane, and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, announced late last week.

The two leaders have decided they won’t take up three other initiatives that qualified for the ballot.

Those initiatives are I-2117 repealing the so-called Climate Control Act (often referred to as “cap and tax” act), I-2019 repealing the capital gains tax and I-2124 allowing workers to opt out the long-term care tax.

Under state law, the Legislature has three options on qualified initiative — pass a law implementing the initiative, put it on the next statewide general election for voters to decide, or — if not approved by March 7 — put it and an alternative law on the ballot for voters to decide.

Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, helped write the initiatives and advocated for hearings throughout the session. On his social media page, Walsh said:

“Resist tyranny. Do it happily. Our beautiful state deserves to be defended by free people. Peaceful non-compliance with bad government action is a powerful tool for change.”

Walsh and other Republicans are not satisfied with hearings on just three of the initiatives. They said they believe the public deserves to hear the arguments by lawmakers both against and for the other three initiatives, particularly with capital gains and the Climate Control Act.

“We are not going to have a hearing on the capital gains tax or the Climate Commitment Act repeal. Both of those will take our state dramatically in the wrong direction,” Billig said, adding their repeals would be “devastating to the people of Washington State.”

Republicans reject that view.

“They’re trying to fear-monger,” Centralia Republican Sen. John Braun said. “They’re counting on you only hearing the word devastating, $5 billion, and not being experts.”

For the initiatives to become law, Gov. Jay Inslee does not need to sign them.