Omar Bennett
The Washington Government Continuation Legislation for Catastrophic Incidents Amendment, also known as Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (SJR 8200), was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Washington that was passed by voters in the November 2019 general election. The amendment was designed to help keep the government running during a large-scale disaster, such as a catastrophic earthquake, by extending extraordinary powers to the Washington Legislature. This included the authority to fill constitutionally-established offices in the event that entire lines of succession were wiped out and to designate a new capital city if needed. While the amendment received support from Washington voters, some opponents, including Senator Bob Hasegawa, argued that its language was too broad and vague, potentially allowing an abusive governor to seize sweeping powers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Amendment Name | Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (SJR 8200) |
| Amendment Year | 2019 |
| Amendment Purpose | To extend to the Washington Legislature extraordinary powers during a "catastrophic incident" |
| Catastrophic Incident Definition | Any natural or human-caused incident, including terrorism and enemy attack, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions |
| Amendment Details | Authority to fill constitutionally-established offices in the event the entire line of succession to those offices is wiped out; authority to designate a new capital city if Olympia is unusable |
| Supporters | The New Yorker, The Columbian, Washington voters (66%) |
| Opponents | Senator Bob Hasegawa |
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What You'll Learn
- Washington voters approved the amendment with nearly 66% of the vote
- The amendment allows the Washington Legislature to take action during a catastrophic incident
- It grants the Legislature the authority to fill constitutionally-established offices if the line of succession is wiped out
- The amendment also allows the Legislature to designate a new capital city if needed
- Some opponents criticised the amendment for being too vaguely worded and giving too much power to the Legislature
Washington voters approved the amendment with nearly 66% of the vote
Washington voters approved the amendment—Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (SJR 8200)—with nearly 66% of the vote. The amendment was proposed to increase the breadth of situations in which the Legislature could take extraordinary measures to preserve the government, specifically due to concerns of an exigency involving the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a geologic fault line off the Pacific Coast that stretches from Canada to Northern California. According to the Spokesman-Review newspaper, this fault line has the potential to cause a massive earthquake that could decimate Western Washington and generate a tsunami that would devastate coastal communities. Such earthquakes occur on average every 300 to 500 years, with the last one recorded in 1700.
The amendment extends to the Washington Legislature extraordinary powers during a "catastrophic incident", including the authority to fill constitutionally-established offices in the event that entire lines of succession to those offices have been wiped out. It also allows the Legislature to designate a new capital city if Olympia is rendered unusable. The Constitution of Washington previously authorized the Legislature to take similar actions in the event of an "enemy attack" on the state's territory.
The amendment was passed by Washington voters in the November 2019 general election. The Washington Constitution allows for contingency planning in the event of an enemy attack on the United States, but not for natural or other human-caused disasters. The amendment addresses this by allowing for contingency planning for such events.
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The amendment allows the Washington Legislature to take action during a catastrophic incident
The Washington State Constitution has been amended 109 times. The amendment process must begin in the state legislature, and once an amendment has passed with a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate, it goes to a public vote.
Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (SJR 8200) is one such amendment. It was passed by Washington voters in the November 2019 general election with nearly 66% of the vote. SJR 8200 amends Article II, Section 42 of the Constitution of Washington to extend to the Washington Legislature extraordinary powers during a "catastrophic incident".
Supporters of the amendment argue that it is necessary to prepare for incidents like the predicted Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, which could result in the worst natural disaster in North America's history. They believe that the state needs to be able to continue operating at the state and county levels during emergency events.
Opponents of the amendment, including Senator Bob Hasegawa, argue that its language is too broad and vague and could be used by an abusive Governor or Legislature to seize sweeping powers unnecessarily.
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It grants the Legislature the authority to fill constitutionally-established offices if the line of succession is wiped out
Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (2019), also known as SJR 8200, is a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Washington State. It grants the Legislature the authority to fill constitutionally-established offices in the event that the entire line of succession to those offices is wiped out.
The amendment was passed by Washington voters in the November 2019 general election, with nearly 66% of the vote. It is intended to help keep the government running during a large-scale disaster, such as a catastrophic earthquake. Washington state abuts the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and predictive modelling of the next full rupture of the zone anticipates it would result in the "worst natural disaster in the history" of North America. The Federal Emergency Management Agency predicts 40,000 casualties and the displacement of one million people would result from a rupture.
The Washington Constitution already authorizes the Legislature to take similar actions in the event of an "enemy attack" on the state's territory. SJR 8200 was proposed to increase the breadth of situations in which the Legislature could take extraordinary measures to preserve the government.
Opponents of the amendment, including Senator Bob Hasegawa, have argued that its language is too broad and vague and could be used by an abusive Governor to seize sweeping powers. However, supporters of the amendment argue that it is necessary to address modern concerns and that the amendment process in Washington requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, after which the people of the state must also vote in favour.
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The amendment also allows the Legislature to designate a new capital city if needed
Washington State's Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (SJR 8200) is a proposed amendment to the Washington Constitution that would grant the Washington Legislature extraordinary powers during a "catastrophic incident". The amendment was passed by Washington voters in the November 2019 general election, with nearly 66% of the vote.
The amendment's purpose is to ensure the continuity of the government during a large-scale disaster, such as a massive earthquake. Washington abuts the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a geologic fault line that has the potential to cause a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. According to predictive modelling, such an event would result in the worst natural disaster in North America's history, with an anticipated 40,000 casualties and the displacement of one million people.
SJR 8200 allows the Legislature to take specific actions during a catastrophic incident. Firstly, it can fill constitutionally-established offices if the entire line of succession to those offices has been wiped out. This ensures that vacant public offices can be temporarily filled, allowing for the continuity of state and local governmental operations. Secondly, the amendment permits the Legislature to designate a new capital city if the current capital, Olympia, becomes unusable.
The Washington Constitution previously only allowed for contingency planning in the event of an "enemy attack" and did not account for natural or human-caused disasters. SJR 8200 expands the scope of the Legislature's authority to address a broader range of potential emergencies. However, opponents of the amendment have criticised its language as being too broad and vague, arguing that it could potentially enable an abusive Governor to seize excessive powers.
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Some opponents criticised the amendment for being too vaguely worded and giving too much power to the Legislature
The Washington Government Continuation Legislation for Catastrophic Incidents Amendment, also known as Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (SJR 8200), was proposed to address concerns about the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the potential for a massive earthquake. The amendment sought to extend the powers of the Washington Legislature during a "catastrophic incident", allowing them to fill constitutionally-established offices and designate a new capital city if needed.
While the amendment received support and was passed by Washington voters in the November 2019 general election, it also faced criticism from opponents. Some critics, including Senator Bob Hasegawa, argued that the amendment's language was too broad and vague. They believed that it could potentially enable an abusive governor to seize sweeping powers, granting too much authority to the Legislature.
The vagueness of the amendment's wording was a significant concern for opponents. They felt that the broad language could lead to misinterpretation or abuse of power. Specifically, critics worried that an abusive governor could exploit the amendment to consolidate power. This criticism highlights the importance of clear and precise language in constitutional amendments to ensure that the powers granted are well-defined and appropriately limited.
In response to these concerns, supporters of the amendment argued that it was necessary to address modern concerns and potential future disasters. They emphasized that the amendment would provide the Legislature with the flexibility to take extraordinary measures to preserve government functions in the event of a catastrophic incident. Additionally, supporters may have pointed to existing safeguards within the amendment process itself, requiring a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, as well as voter approval, to pass an amendment.
While the criticism of vague wording and excessive power raised important considerations, the ultimate decision to pass SJR 8200 reflects the voters' recognition of the need for disaster preparedness and their trust in the Legislature to act in the state's best interests during catastrophic events. This amendment highlights the delicate balance between granting the government the necessary powers to address emergencies and maintaining checks and balances to prevent potential abuses of power.
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Frequently asked questions
Constitutional Amendment 8200 in Washington State, or SJR 8200, is a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Washington that would extend to the Washington Legislature extraordinary powers during a "catastrophic incident".
The purpose of the amendment is to help keep the government running during a large-scale disaster, such as a catastrophic earthquake.
The amendment would give the Legislature the authority to fill constitutionally-established offices if the entire line of succession to those offices was wiped out. It would also allow the Legislature to designate a new capital city if Olympia was rendered unusable.
The amendment was supported by Washington voters, passing with nearly 66% of the vote in the November 2019 general election. It also had support from The Columbian, which argued that "possible threats to a functioning state government have changed since the Cold War, and the state constitution should reflect those changes."
