Opinion ID: 1182371
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: washington constitution, article 2, section 19

Text: The threshold question in both Simmons and Fritz involves article 2, section 19 of the state constitution which reads: BILL TO CONTAIN ONE SUBJECT. No bill shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title. The challengers of Initiative 276 basically contend that article 2, section 19 applies to initiative measures with the same force and import as in the case of enactments of the state legislature. From this thesis, the challengers argue that Initiative 276 (1) embraces more than one subject, and (2) that the subject matter within the body of the initiative is not expressed in the ballot title of the initiative. On the basis of these assumptions they conclude that the initiative violates article 2, section 19, and consequently it is unconstitutional and void. [3] The reasoned decision of this court in Senior Citizens League v. Department of Social Security, 38 Wn.2d 142, 228 P.2d 478 (1951), clearly held that article 2, section 19 is not applicable to initiative measures. In this connection, the court explicitly recognized the limited application of the constitutional article to the legislative titles of bills or laws enacted by the state legislature. Because Initiative 276 originated with the signing and filing of petitions by the voters of Washington rather than through any action by the legislature, the initiative had no legislative title. It did have, however, a ballot title provided by the Attorney General's Office. The adequacy of ballot titles is specifically governed by the provisions of RCW 29.79.040. These provisions mandate the procedures to be followed by the Attorney General in providing a legally sufficient ballot title for initiative measures. RCW 29.79.040 provides as follows: Ballot title  Formulation by attorney general. Within ten days after the receipt of an initiative or referendum measure the attorney general shall formulate therefor and transmit to the secretary of state a statement of not to exceed one hundred words, bearing the serial number of the measure. The statement may be distinct from the legislative title of the measure, and shall express, and give a true and impartial statement of the purpose of the measure; it shall not be intentionally an argument, nor likely to create prejudice, either for or against the measure. In addition to such statement, the attorney general shall also prepare a caption, not to exceed five words in length, to permit the voters readily to identify the initiative or referendum measure and distinguish it from other questions on the ballot. This caption and the statement together shall constitute the ballot title. The ballot title formulated by the attorney general shall be the ballot title of the measure unless changed on appeal. (Italics ours.) No contention is made by the challengers of Initiative 276 that its ballot title does not comply with the above provisions of RCW 29.79.040. We decline to overrule and strike down the well-considered en banc decision of the court in Senior Citizens League v. Department of Social Security, supra . We adhere to the precedent established by that case that article 2, section 19 does not apply to ballot titles of initiative measures. [1] We think this resolves and should end this aspect of the appeals in Simmons and in Fritz. Assuming arguendo, however, that the provisions of article 2, section 19 are applicable, we would have no difficulty in holding that the ballot title and subject matter of Initiative 276 comply with the twofold requirements of article 2, section 19. The ballot title of Initiative 276 as drafted per the Attorney General pursuant to RCW 29.79.040 reads as follows: AN ACT Relating to campaign financing, activities of lobbyists, access to public records, and financial affairs of elective officers and candidates; requiring disclosure of sources of campaign contributions, objects of campaign expenditures, and amounts thereof; limiting campaign expenditures; regulating the activities of lobbyists and requiring reports of their expenditures; restricting use of public funds to influence legislative decisions; governing access to public records; specifying the manner in which public agencies will maintain such records; requiring disclosure of elective officials' and candidates' financial interests and activities; establishing a public disclosure commission to administer the act; and providing civil penalties. The challenging parties assert that the body of the initiative covers a multitude of subjects including: (1) disclosure of campaign financing; (2) limitations on campaign spending; (3) regulation of lobbying activities; (4) regulation of grass roots educational activities; (5) disclosure of financial affairs of elected officials; and (6) public inspection of public records. [4] We do not agree that the initiative covers a multiplicity of subjects or subjects that are not reasonably related. On the contrary, each of the subtopics of Initiative 276 bears a close interrelationship to the dominant intendment of the measure. We have repeatedly held that where the title embraces a general subject it is not violative of the constitution even though the general subject contains incidental subjects. All that is required is that there be some rational unity between the general subject and the incidental subdivisions. Kueckelhan v. Federal Old Line Ins. Co., 69 Wn.2d 392, 418 P.2d 443 (1966); Robison v. Dwyer, 58 Wn.2d 576, 364 P.2d 521 (1961). Water Dist. 105 v. State, 79 Wn.2d 337, 341, 485 P.2d 66 (1971). In short, we are satisfied that the interrelated sections easily meet the nexus requirements of the rational unity test. In our opinion, the general subject area of Initiative 276 was one reasonably well known and understood by the public. We think that the generic subject of Initiative 276  openness in government  necessarily encompasses the public accountability of incumbents of public office and candidates seeking to represent the people in public office as well as lobbyists and their employers seeking to guide or direct legislation. Hence, the rational unity or coalescence of the initiative's subtopics could be expressed as a general subject or subject area delineating or prescribing more realistic standards and controls, better and more available public information and records regarding election campaigns, the functions of government, involving the activities and societal responsibilities of candidates for public office, public officials, lobbyists and others actively engaged in the processes of government. Accord, Stein v. Howlett, 52 Ill.2d 570, 289 N.E.2d 409 (1972), cert. denied, 412 U.S. 925 (1973) (Illinois public disclosure law, discussed infra ); Madison Nat'l Bank v. Newrath, 261 Md. 321, 275 A.2d 495 (1971) (Uniform Commercial Code with its divers subject matter held to satisfy Maryland's one subject rule). The second requirement of article 2, section 19, that the subject of the bill be expressed in its title, is clearly met. The adequacy of legislative titles in terms of the provisions of article 2, section 19 was addressed in Maxwell v. Lancaster, 81 Wash. 602, 607, 143 P. 157 (1914). In Lancaster the court stated, [i]f the subject of the act can be reasonably gathered from reading the title as a whole, the subject is sufficiently expressed therein. The lengthy, detailed and explicit ballot title given Initiative 276 by the Attorney General's Office leaves no doubt in our minds that a reasonably careful and intelligent reader would be informed as to what was covered or embraced in the body of Initiative 276. Thus, assuming for argument's sake that article 2, section 19 is applicable to Initiative 276 we would conclude hypothetically that the initiative and its title would be in compliance.