8 Just because they can ... doesn't mean they will.

• Position: STATELINE - Constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority to raise taxes in WA - Brief article

Lawmakers in Washington are trying to get used to the idea that they can raise taxes with a simple majority vote. It hasn't been that way for much of the past two decades--ever since voters first approved the supermajority rule in 1993. But in February, the state Supreme Court said the voter-approved requirement for a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes is unconstitutional, and that a constitutional amendment would be necessary to impose such a rule. The honeymoon for those wanting to raise taxes to fill the almost $1 billion budget shortfall may be short-lived...