Proposed Bill Would Allow Counties to ‘Opt Out’ of Controversial Legislation

We think it might have been 'inspired' by I-522. The folks who wrote the legal pot bill didn't think to close the loopholes that allowed counties to enact their own pot bans.

Rep. Brad Klippert (8th District GOP) has proposed HB1157 (House Bill), which would allow a county to not enact all or parts of a statewide initiative if  certain criteria are met.

Klippert's bill is an Amendment to the State Constitution and would be added to the Revised Code of Washington. The bill reads in part:

"A legislative authority of a county may elect not to implement or enforce all or any part of a statewide initiative enacted by the people. The legislative authority must take such action by ordinance, which must indicate which parts of the initiative are, and are not,  in effect in the county."

 In short, if 1157 passed and became law, a county could, by passing an ordinance, enforce all, parts of, or none of a statewide initiative.  One cannot help but see this was inspired by unpopular and controversial legislation that gets passed statewide due to King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties--including legalized pot.  It was defeated in all but two East Side counties, by an average margin of about 60-40 percent.

It is one of a number of bills that in the early process are still making their way through initial readings, then to committees, then to the House Floor for a vote. Then it would have to pass the Senate. But it's a very interesting idea, no doubt.