The Northwest Progressive Institute and Permanent Defense this morning applauded the State Supreme Court’s invalidation of Tim Eyman’s Initiative 747, which placed draconian limits on property taxes in 2001. The Court upheld a lower court decision which found the initiative unconstitutional.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for the people of the State of Washington,” said NPI Executive Director Andrew Villeneuve. “Neither the Legislature nor initiative sponsors have the right to mislead voters with inaccurately drafted law. The Supreme Court has affirmed once again that Tim Eyman’s habit of cutting corners with poorly conceived language is not acceptable.”

“Our state’s Constitution is a meaningless document unless its protections are enforced,” Villeneuve added. “No statute may violate the Constitution for any reason. Those who sponsor initiatives for a living are bound to abide by the same rules that the Legislature must follow. Citizen lawmaking, like the privilege of serving in the Legislature, carries with it huge responsibility.”

PREVIOUS EYMAN INITIATIVES DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL:

• I-695 (1999): Slashing vehicle fees
• I-722 (2000): Slashing property taxes

EYMAN’S RECORD — FULL OF FAILURES

Besides the court invalidations of I-695 and I-722, Tim Eyman’s record is full of defeats:

• I-745 (2000): Tried to redirect transportation funding to roads, defeated by voters
• I-776 (2002): Failed to stop Sound Transit’s light rail project or eliminate bonds (the main intent)
• I-267 (2002): Tried to redirect transportation funding to roads, never qualified for the ballot
• I-807 (2003): Initiative 960’s more recent predecessor never qualified for the ballot
• I-864 (2004): Tried to slash property taxes, never qualified for the ballot
• I-892 (2004): Tried to expand gambling, defeated by voters
• I-900 (2005): Gave the state auditor too much power to conduct performance audits. Approved.
• I-917 (2006): Tried to slash vehicle fees, never qualified for the ballot
• R-65 (2006): Tried to legalize discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, never qualified for the ballot

For more information, check out the complete Failure Chart.