SJR 8200: Amending the Constitution to require a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to raise taxes

The Senate Joint Resolution would propose an amendment to Article II of the Washington State Constitution to the state’s voters on the ballot during the next election. This amendment states that the legislature may only raise taxes (defined as “increasing state tax revenue deposited in any fund, budget, or account, regardless of whether the revenues are deposited into the general fund”) if this action is approved by at least a two-thirds vote of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This would not apply to proposed taxes that are referred by the Legislature to the people to vote on (referendums) or a tax related to an emergency that has already been defined in law as an emergency by at least a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate.