06/06/06 FB property initiative gets endorsements

Washington Ag June 6, 2006 The Washington Farm Bureau says U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris and state Representative Bob Sump have joined a growing list of community leaders to who have endorsed the Bureau's Property Fairness Initiative. The two lawmakers signed a Property Fairness pledge that supports three key elements of Initiative 933; that government should understand the impact on property owners before adopting land-use regulations; government should explore voluntary measures before imposing new regulations; and government should compensate property owners when regulations harm the use or value of private property. Initiative 933 needs about 225-thousand valid voter signatures to get on the November ballot. Dan Wood, Initiative 933 campaign director and Farm Bureau Director of Government Relations, says the goal is to get 300-thousand signatures by the July 7th deadline, because the Secretary of State's Office usually cannot verify about ten percent of signatures on ballot petitions. Wood: "It is going very well. Our signature drives are bringing in the signatures we are expecting at this point. So if people keep working hard at it and send in the signatures they collected, then we will get to the ballot." For more information about the Property Fairness Initiative and a list of those who have signed the Property Fairness Pledge go to www.propertyfairness.com I'm Bob Hoff.