Rep. TOM CAMPBELL (R-Roy)
2nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia office: 334 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Office: (360) 786-7912

For immediate release: Nov 21, 2007

Governor made right choice with Special Session

Olympia -- Rep. Tom Campbell commended Gov. Chris Gregoire’s decision to call a one-day Special Session of the Legislature, Nov. 29, to reinstate the voter-approved 1-percent cap on property tax limit (Initiative 747). The issue came unraveled on Nov. 8 when the Supreme Court declared the initiative unconstitutional.

Campbell (R-Roy) had urged the governor to call a special session to coincide with the Committee Assembly that will already bring legislators to Olympia Nov. 28-30. “I believe we can quickly resolve the issue in one day to protect property rights of Washington citizens,” Campbell wrote the governor yesterday.

In his letter to the governor, Campbell told Gregoire that he was pleased to see some positive responses from a few counties that had said they would honor the governor’s request for taxing districts to not ‘jump the gun’ to raise the limit until the issue could be settled.  But he added, “We have to be wary of other counties that have indicated they may try to sneak in a tax increase while the issue is still being considered by the Legislature.”

Campbell said, when state Attorney General Rob McKenna decided yesterday that he would not appeal the Supreme Court ruling, Gregoire did the right thing to call the special session. “Now, it’s time for legislators to roll up our sleeves and get the job done quickly. To all parties, I say, let’s leave the posturing for another day and just get it done.

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Contact: Rep. Tom Campbell at (360) 786-7912 or campbell.tom@leg.wa.gov