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OLYMPIA — If you ask Tim Eyman what he thinks about Gov. Chris Gregoire signing into law a measure to temporarily suspend the tax-limiting constraints placed on lawmakers by Eyman’s voter-approved initiative, he thinks it stinks.
A sneering Eyman was an uninvited guest at Wednesday’s Capitol signing ceremony, and he stood behind Gregoire to hold his nose and give a thumbs-down sign.
“You must behave,” she told him during the impromptu photo opportunity that rattled Democrats and others watching the bill-signing ceremony.
Gregoire signed the bill just days after the Legislature approved the measure, and it takes effect immediately.
“I hope, I expect, the people of the state of Washington will understand we’re in unprecedented times,” she said.
“[The lawmakers] know what they’re doing is not what the voters want, but they seem darn hellbent to do it anyway,” Eyman said later.
“Even though we saw it coming, it’s still absolutely galling to watch it actually happen.”
Heated debate
The bill spurred two weeks of heated debate in both the House and Senate.
Initiative 960 makes it harder for lawmakers to raise taxes or to close tax exemptions, which is why the Democratic majority needed the suspension.
Budget writers want a mix of spending cuts, tax increases and one-time fixes to fill a $2.8 billion deficit.
House and Senate Democrats both unveiled budget proposals Tuesday, with the Senate pushing for a temporary sales tax increase and an additional $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes, and closing numerous tax exemptions.
House Democrats have not yet released the revenue-raising part of their budget proposal, though they are expected to do so by the end of the week.
Gregoire said extra revenue is needed this year to prevent further cuts to state programs for vulnerable populations, like the elderly or those with special needs.
While she’d like to avoid higher taxes, Gregoire said “the fact of the matter is I think that would be an immoral budget, a budget I couldn’t live with.”
“At the end of the day, I have to do not only what my head says but what my values are,” she said.
2007 initiative
The Eyman-sponsored initiative, approved by voters in 2007, requires two-thirds approval from legislators to raise taxes — a significant hurdle compared with the simple majority needed to pass other measures.
The bill signed by Gregoire would pause most of the initiative’s provisions until July 2011, when the next two-year budget cycle begins.
Lawmakers can amend initiatives with a simple majority vote after they’ve been on the books for two years, making this the first legislative session that Democrats can suspend I-960 with their current majorities.
Eyman hovered behind Gregoire’s chair as she signed the bill, shaking his head several times and looking exasperated.
He got his picture taken with Gregoire after the signing, at first posing holding his nose and giving a thumbs down sign, then getting the joking “you behave” reprimand from Gregoire.
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PDN news partner KOMO-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
