A state Senate committee on Monday passed a measure that would suspend a citizen-approved initiative that requires a super majority vote in the Legislature to raise taxes.
Senate Bill 6843 was OK’d by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. It must still be considered by the full chamber. If it passes there it would move to the House.
Facing a $2.6 billion operating budget deficit that has lawmakers considering substantial program cuts, majority Democrats say Initiative 960 must be suspended so some tax increases can help blunt the impact of reductions.
I-960 was approved by the voters in 2007. It requires a difficult-to-achieve two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes. Voters have approved the policy several times, but lawmakers can amend such laws after they’ve been on the books for two years. The measure would suspend the two-thirds vote hurdle until July 2011.
In addition, any tax increases that pay for voter-mandated programs – such as teacher raises or training for home-care aides – would be permanently exempt from a two-thirds vote. So would any measures that change or remove tax breaks, transfer money between state accounts, or respond to court rulings that could decrease tax collections.
The bill also would water down public notice requirements for tax proposals, making mandatory cost projections cover six years instead of 10 and limiting extensive reports to tax bills that get an actual public hearing.
Finally, the measure would remove the requirement for a nonbinding public advisory vote on any tax hikes that aren’t subject to a referendum.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)