Three initiatives that provide billions in state funding are on the ballot.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Within minutes of the end of the 2024 legislative session, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee was talking about the November general election.
Three initiatives that provide billions in state funding are on the ballot.
Initiative-2124 would allow citizens to opt-out of the state’s long-term care program. Initiative-2109 would repeal the capital gains tax, and Initiative-2117 would repeal the state’s climate law, the Climate Commitment Act.
”Those initiatives jointly would gut, would gut, would kneecap, would blow a hole in all of these benefits Washingtonians are now are now enjoying,” said Inslee, D-Washington.
Inslee said funding raised by the capital gains tax supports child care subsidies and educational programs. Meanwhile, the climate law charges polluters fees and generates funds used for environmental programs and state transportation projects, said Inslee.
“I do not believe Washingtonians want to gut our funding for schools, I don’t think they want to gut our funding for transportation,” said Inslee.
Initiative sponsor, Rep. Jim Walsh, said he expects all three initiatives to pass.
Walsh, a Republican who helped collect signatures for the initiative petitions, said voters are fed up with new taxes and state programs, especially those that he said raise gas prices in the state.
Walsh said the state can afford to give up the funding generated by the three state laws left up to voters in November.
”We can afford these tax reforms and repeals without putting any hardships on the basic function of the state government,” said Walsh.
