McAuliffe initially supported amendment to restrict initiatives, now opposes it

Democratic State Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe withdrew in late January as a co-sponsor of a proposal to amend the state constitution to stop petitioning for any citizen initiative that would keep the state from complying with balanced-budget requirements.

I wrote three weeks ago that McAuliffe had not been among the 34 senators who had signed on as sponsors of Senate Joint Resolution 8201.

She had, however, been one of 38 initial sponsors before withdrawing her name.

She said Tuesday that she had changed her mind after deciding that voters always should get a chance to express their opinions.

Senate Joint Resolution 8201 came as a reaction to an initiative that voters approved at the November election requiring state support for reductions in class sizes in all public schools but not a way to pay for it. McAuliffe had supported that measure. Before the election she said that she hoped that the measure would be a strong showing of support for reducing class sizes.

I wrote Jan. 30 that the Republican sponsor of the resolution and many Republican co-sponsors had removed their sponsorship. In fact, only one Republican has withdrawn.

Democrat Maralyn Chase was among the four senators who withdrew as co-sponsors of SJR 8201.

Chase represents the 32nd Legislative District, including Lynnwood, Woodway and nearby unincorporated areas of southwest Snohomish County, parts of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace, the city of Shoreline, and a small part of northwest Seattle.

McAuliffe represents the 1st Legislative District, including most of Mountlake Terrace, all of Brier and Bothell, unincorporated areas of Snohomish County north and east of Bothell, part of Kirkland, and unincorporated areas of King County between Bothell and Kirkland.

A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. That means that 33 senators and 66 representatives must approve it to send it to the November ballot.

Frequent initiative sponsor Tim Eyman of Mukilteo has said that legislators are engaged in an assault on initiatives.