Voting NO on Washington State Initiatives 2109 and 2066 on Fantastic Friday!

Dear Friends, 

Over the past few weeks, we have talked about important initiatives that will be on your ballots this fall. These are incredibly important votes that you will cast, and I hope you will take the time to fully understand what is at stake.

We’ve discussed Initiative 2117, which would end protections for our air, water, forests, and farmland while devastating our transportation and infrastructure programs – including cutting funding for new ferries.

We talked about Initiative 2124, which would increase costs for working people, including nurses, teachers and firefighters, by eliminating Washington’s long-term care insurance program.

Now today, I want to take a minute and talk through two additional initiatives that I hope you will join me in opposing – Initiative 2109 and Initiative 2066.

Initiative 2109 is an attempt by the extremely wealthy to reduce what they pay in taxes, repealing a capital gains tax that fewer than 4,000 Washingtonians paid in 2022.

Here are additional details from No2109.org:

I-2109 takes away more than $5 billion from Washington education, draining budgets.

Funding from the capital gains tax is dedicated to public education, childcare and early learning. Parents are desperate for more childcare and early learning openings, especially in rural areas.

School districts across the state are facing budget shortfalls and don’t have the funds for school repairs. If I-2109 passes, school districts may have to turn to more property tax levies to keep schools safe for students.

I-2109 gives a tax cut to fewer than 4,000 mega-millionaires and billionaires in Washington.

99.8% of Washington households did not pay a dime of state capital gains tax, yet in 2022, the first year it was collected, it raised $889 million for education. 84% of the revenue from this tax comes from wealthy residents in King County.

Washington State’s capital gains tax is limited, applying only to 7% of the annual profits in excess of $250,000 from sales of stocks and bonds.

All retirement accounts, such as IRAs, small family businesses, farms, and all real estate, including businesses and vacation homes, are already exempted.

The simple truth is that this initiative would not help Washington or Washingtonians – instead it would slash more than $5 billion from public education, childcare, and early learning in order to give the wealthiest people in Washington a tax cut.

In a poll from last October, 56% of Washingtonians opposed this initiative – there’s no hiding the fact that this is bad for Washignton, and Washingtonians do not want this to pass.

It is so important that you vote NO on Initiative 2109 when you fill out your ballot for the election this year. I hope you will join me in opposing this harmful effort to take money away from our public services.

Initiative 2066 targets energy efficiency programs and standards that have saved Washingtonians thousands on their energy bills and reduce stress on the electric grid during extreme weather.

Not only would it reduce the efficiency and reliability of our energy grid, it would also gut standards that ensure new buildings are being built so they don’t waste energy, resulting in higher energy bills for future homeowners and renters.

Here is some background information from No2066.org:

I-2066 would increase energy bills. It would require utility companies to continue investing in outdated technology, and the costs would be passed onto families and businesses.

I-2066 attacks energy efficiency. It would roll back modern protections that make homes and businesses more energy efficient. It jeopardizes energy efficiency programs and would take away important customer rebates, raising costs for Washingtonians.

I-2066 is funded by powerful interest groups. It is part of a nationwide effort by fossil fuel corporations and well-funded interest groups that want to make as much money as possible while Washington families pay higher energy bills.

I-2066 would stop towns, cities and counties from making decisions that work best for their communities. It’s an overreach designed to prevent local decision-making.

As we look to the future and do the difficult work that will benefit the next seven generations to come, we must always prioritize efficient, effective, and clean energy sources. Initiative 2066 would be a step backwards, and I hope you will join me in voting NO on your ballot this fall.

Ensuring that Washington is healthy, happy, and affordable for all those who call it home will always be my top priority as your representative in Olympia. These ballot initiatives would be detrimental to all we have worked so hard to accomplish, and they have no place in Washington.

We must always ensure that we uplift those around us, helping those who have too little and building for the future, for our grandchildren’s grandchildren.

You can have a profound impact on the future of Washington this fall by voting NO on these harmful ballot initiatives. I hope we can count on you.

In solidarity,

Debra Lekanoff
Vote Debra Lekanoff
State Representative, Washington State House of Representatives