Testimony to the Washington state House of Senate regarding Senate Bill 5575 to undermine the People's Initiative I-200

Statement by Tim Eyman, co-sponsor of I-200, against Senate Bill 5575 which guts voter-approved Initiative 200 at the Feb. 11th Senate hearing:

Racial discrimination is wrong when it's done by people; it is indefensible when it's done by the government. The only fair policy is one where the government treats everyone the same.

The people and the groups testifying in favor of this bill, and the politicians who are promoting it, are the same people who begged and pleaded with the voters to reject Initiative 200 back in 1998. You presented the same arguments then that you're presenting now. And after a two-year debate, the voters ignored all of you and overwhelmingly approved I-200 by an amazing 20 point margin. Now, six years later, you're all being asked to secretly overrule the voters' unambiguous decision.

Gutting I-200 by approving Senate Bill 5575 would be a disgusting betrayal of the voters this Legislature is elected to represent.

Listening to supporters of this bill, you would be led to believe that discriminatory admission policies are the only way to achieve diversity. But colleges and universities have clearly shown that through aggressive race-neutral outreach, diversity is being achieved without discrimination. In yesterday's hearing, people and groups supporting this legislation acknowledged this fact but one of them said it's the "same quantity" but not the "same quality." That is a slap-in-the-face insult to all students, especially students of color and ethnic minorities who've succeeded under I-200 based on their merit, not their group affiliation. It's time for colleges and universities to admit their success and stop trying to reinstate discrimination.

To justify this bill, supporters claim the U.S. Supreme Court is requiring this change. That's totally untrue. The court said states may discriminate if they want to. They don't have to. Our state, along with California, and soon Michigan, have decided through voter-approved laws that we want a governmental policy of non-discrimination.

I-200 says no discrimination; this bill says discriminatory admission policies do not violate I-200's ban on discrimination. This bill's Orwellian-wording twists I-200 into a pretzel and totally violates its principles.

Voters closed the door on discrimination. This bill asks you to open the door of discrimination wide open again. Represent the voters by keeping it closed.

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