News Release--Coalition still has persuasive case but not enough resources for longer legal haul
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick Connor, NFIB/Washington State Director, [email protected]
or Luke Wake, NFIB Attorney, [email protected]
OLYMPIA, Wash., May 12, 2017—The coalition of Washington businesses challenging the constitutionality of Initiative 1433, passed last November by voters, announced today it will not appeal Kittitas County Superior Court Judge Scott Sparks’ April 27 ruling against the coalition.
Patrick Connor, Washington state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, called the judge’s decision disappointing not only for the electoral process but also for the rule of law. “What this ruling tells future initiative drafters is that they can overlook the Washington Constitution’s crystal clear instruction that the titles of ballot initiatives be a single subject. By broadening the definition of ‘single’ into ‘general,’ the courts have thrown open the door to political sleight-of-hand. We had hoped the trial court would note the Filo Foods case’s departure from the constitution’s single-subject rule. It did not, and the coalition does not want to reinforce the flawed Filo reasoning in precedent by appealing this case any further.”
More about the lawsuit, Haberman v. Washington, including the judge’s decision, can be found at I-1433 Lawsuit Central on the NFIB/Washington webpage. NFIB was joined in the lawsuit by the Northwest Food Processors Association, the Washington Farm Bureau, the Washington Food Industry Association, and the Washington Retail Association.
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Washington
711 Capitol Way South, Suite 505
Olympia, WA 98501
www.nfib.com/washington
Twitter: @NFIB_WA
