REASON #1 - IT'S NOT A PEOPLES' INITIATIVE
Initiative 900 is an initiative largely funded by one man: Michael Dunmire, a wealthy multimillionaire who lives in Woodinville. The Spokesman-Review:
“...According to campaign finance records filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission, Eyman has raised about $415,000 for the initiative. Of that, Dunmire and his wife have contributed more than $314,000…” (June 9th 2005)
That’s a total contribution percentage of 75.6%! One man provided three fourths of the funding required to hire paid signature gatherers to go out and collect signatures for I-900. It's not a peoples' initiative - it's one man's pet project.
REASON #2 - A POORLY DRAFTED INITIATIVE
Eyman initiatives have a history and a pattern of turning out to be poorly drafted proposals. His first two initiatives were both declared unconstitional by the state Supreme Court for violating the single subject rule. Initiative 776 was also challenged in court and didn't end up achieving what its sponsor said it would, and a lawsuit is still ongoing against Initiative 747.
Unlike the legislative process, Initiative 900 was drafted in secret without public input. And unlike the legislature's version, Initiative 900 has a potential constitutional defect: its New Section 5 appears to be in conflict with Amendment 11 (Article VIII, Section 4) of the state Constitution.
Initiative 900 wasn't subject to public hearings. It was not carefully drafted and it didn't pass through the legislative process. It's a poorly drafted initiative.
REASON #3 - INEFFECTIVE
Permanent Defense recently asked the state auditor's office questions about Initiative 900 and what it would do, if it passed.
Q: Would the initiative (if it passed) supersede or overturn the bill passed by the Legislature – HB 1064 – and get rid of the citizen advisory board?
State Auditor’s Office: No.
Q: Would the state auditor be forced under Initiative 900 to try and audit every agency and program in the state, every year, including local governments?
State Auditor’s Office: No.
Eyman’s stated goal was to force annual audits of every agency, program, and account in the state every year. But I-900 doesn’t do that. And though he's laughed at the citizen advisory board that the Legislature put into place with 
HB 1064, Initiative 900 doesn't supersede it.
HB 1064, Initiative 900 doesn't supersede it.REASON #4 - NUMEROUS COSTS AND RISKS
Permanent Defense previously asked the state auditor's office what impact I-900 might have on it, and was told that if the state auditor were to fully implement Initiative 900, the estimated cost would be a whopping $90 million per biennium.
But the initiative only provides $20 million in funds per biennium.
And if the state auditor were to fully implement Initiative 900, its office would have to practically quadruple in size. That's more bureaucracy that isn't needed.
The state auditor's office has also previously estimated that it could take as long as twelve years to implement Initiative 900. The estimate now ranges from at least five years to possibly twelve.
Initiative 900 would give the state auditor extroadinary power to go after local governments. We have a qualified, very professional auditor now, but what if someone of a lower stature were to be elected? A "rogue" auditor could pick on local governments and abuse power.
** See source: Auditor's Office Letter to Permanent Defense
REASON #5 - NOT NEEDED
Tim Eyman and Michael Dunmire are latecomers to the issue of performance audits. State House Democrats have been working on the issue for years.
Before I-900 even had enough signatures, the Legislature had passed EHB 1064, which orders the state auditor to hire independent contractors to do annual performance audits of state agencies.
A panel of citizens will work with the auditor to evaluate how well state agencies are doing. The legislation was signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire.
EHB 1064 went through the legislative process – which means it successfully made it through several committees in both the state House and the state Senate, and then passed in a full vote. It was also amended in the state Senate before it passed a full vote. The House concurred in the amendments.
Initiative 900, on the other hand, never faced the legislative process and was never amended to make it a better proposal.
© 2005 Permanent Defense.
A Northwest Progressive Institute organization.
WHY YOU SHOULD OPPOSE INITIATIVE 900
