Opinion ID: 2593976
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The committee's motion to dismiss

Text: Although the committee conceded that the petition circulated for signatures differed from the petition that the committee had filed with the Secretary of State on March 8, it nevertheless filed a lengthy motion to dismiss the opponents' complaint. In support of the dismissal motion, the committee's Executive Director attested that the opponents' assertion that this minor typographical error would make a $1.3 billion or more difference in the initial state spending limit was an obvious attempt to pull this `rabbit out of the hat' after it was too late to make any changes. The Director offered nothing to refute that the difference in the base-years calculation would result in an over $1 billion difference in the 2009-2011 state spending limit. Additionally, the committee's counsel attested that the Secretary of State's Office did not request a new fiscal note after the discrepancy was discovered because the language of the body of the petition was not changed. Finally, the committee provided a letter from respondent Bob Beers, who, in addressing the opponents' contention that the difference in spending for the initial budget would be over $1 billion, wrote, I believe the difference creates only a potential error that is not likely to ever be realized, thus has no or minimal fiscal impact. Nevertheless, Beers agreed with the LCB that the base biennium budget in the circulated petition would be larger than it would be under the March 8 filed petition. According to Beers, any difference would be minimal because after TASC is implemented, the spending limit will have been based on the lesser of actual spending or the theoretical initial spending limit. (Emphasis added.) But, as opponents point out, the TASC initiative at section 4(1) provides that the state spending limit will be actual spending, adjusted for population changes and inflation growth, or the previous spending limit, whichever amount is greater.  (Emphasis added.)