Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs does not like a bill proposing new rules for the state’s initiative process. ”It's not just a barrier, it's a huge cost,” said Hobbs, a Democrat. Five Democratic Senators are sponsoring Senate Bill 5382, which passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday. For more than 100 years, Washington citizens have been able to propose new laws to the legislature, or directly to voters, through the initiative process. The Secretary of State’s Office must determine if enough registered voters signed the petitions before the initiatives qualify for consideration. Under the proposed legislation, after someone signs a petition, they would be asked to sign a declaration that their information is accurate, they have read the initiative, and were not paid for their signature. READ MORE: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/washington-secretary-of-state-opposes-proposed-changes-to-initiative-process/281-97c30899-1759-4888-a540-c6356cfa73a2