GEE AND URSULA

Why Tim Eyman’s $30 car tab initiatives keep getting struck down in court

Oct 19, 2020, 3:00 PM | Updated: Oct 20, 2020, 6:31 am

I-976, car tabs fees eyman, ballot initiatives...

Tim Eyman advertising for $30 car tabs. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The Supreme Court of Washington State struck down Tim Eyman’s $30 car tab measure last week, a decision that University of Washington law professor Hugh Spitzer explained to KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show.

Washington leaders, lawmakers react to decision to strike down I-976

Some have levied criticism against the state Supreme Court for ruling against I-976, a measure that had been approved by voters in 2019. Despite that, though, the initiative violated Washington’s 131-year-old “single subject” rule.

“The state Constitution since 1889 has had this provision that says that each piece of legislation has to cover just one topic, and that’s to prevent what’s called log rolling, where legislators will pile in a whole bunch of different disparate topics in order to try to get a bill through,” Spitzer described.

For I-976, the initiative — which was presumably only supposed to be about lowering car tab fees — also contained a measure that would have required Sound Transit to retire their existing bonds and pay them off early.

Spitzer notes that this marks the third time the state Supreme Court has struck down an Eyman ballot initiative for violating the single subject rule. So, why keep drafting legislation that skirts the rules?

Spitzer once sat on a panel with Eyman, where he asked him that very question.

Lawsuit over ST3, car tabs gets new life despite high court defeat

“He said, ‘You know, I don’t really care — what I really want to do is to put pressure on the Legislature on the issues that I care about, and I really don’t care that much if they get thrown out,'” Spitzer said. “And so I think it’s maybe a political stance or tactical stance that he takes. But you should talk to him, because he seems to make the same mistakes repeatedly.”

In the wake of the I-976 decision, Eyman has said he remains “100% committed” to getting a $30 car tabs initiative passed. Whether his next attempt will finally pass muster with the state Supreme Court remains to be seen.

Listen to the Gee and Ursula Show weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Gee and Ursula Show

Gee and Ursula

Photo: Yale players, including guard Yassine Gharram, center, celebrate with fans after their 78-76...

Julia Dallas

Gee and Ursula: Idaho band turns ‘Van-Dogs’ as they rep. Yale for March Madness

Yale took down Auburn in a major upset during March Madness. But, they might've not been able to do it without the help of a marching band.

3 days ago

boeing negligence...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: Boeing has finally taken a step in the right direction

Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged that the mid-air blowout of an Alaska Airlines door panel was a watershed.

3 days ago

Image: Photo of "The Ascent" by Larry Anderson...

Julia Dallas

‘Gee and Ursula’: Bonney Lake mayor search reveals ‘tea’ on candidate

The City of Bonney Lake is searching for a new mayor after the former mayor accepted a job with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

10 days ago

Both President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump have locked the nomination for their respectiv...

Bill Kaczaraba

Medved: ‘People didn’t really know (or care) there was a primary’

Medved believes that people are unhappy with their choices during this presidential cycle.

12 days ago

Photo: The homeless encampment outside city hall is being moved around Burien to another home at Do...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: The Burien homeless crisis highlights an even bigger problem

Because of the lack of alternatives, the King County Sheriff has ordered her deputies to not enforce a camping ban in Burien.

16 days ago

court gavel...

Bill Kaczaraba

Gee & Ursula: Should judges be elected or appointed?

Gee & Ursula take on an age-old question: Should judges be elected or appointed? This comes after a case involving Judge Pooja Vaddadi.

21 days ago

Why Tim Eyman’s $30 car tab initiatives keep getting struck down in court