Opinion ID: 2593976
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The difference between the two December versions of the initiative

Text: The two December versions of the TASC initiative differed with respect to section 4(4), which provides the basis for calculating the state spending limit for the initial biennial budget. The first version of the initiative was submitted on standard-sized 8.5 × 11-inch paper, and section 4(4) of that version provided that, for the initial biennial 2009-2011 budget cycle, the base years for calculating the state spending limit shall be the 2005-2007 biennium adjusted for cumulative changes in population and inflation occurring between January 1, 2007 and January 1, 2009. (Emphasis added.) The second version of the initiative was submitted on legal-sized 8.5 × 14-inch paper, and section 4(4) of that version provided that the base biennium for calculating the spending limit shall be the 2005-2007 biennium adjusted for cumulative changes in population and inflation occurring between January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2009. (Emphasis added.) Thus, the legal-sized version contained a four-year (2005-2009) population and inflation adjustment for calculating spending limits for the initial biennium, whereas the standard-sized version contained a two-year population and inflation adjustment (2007-2009). [1] The Secretary of State's Office apparently did not realize that the committee had submitted two different versions of the petition, and it filed both on December 22, 2005.