Andrew Villeneuve, founder and executive director of the Redmond-based Northwest Progressive Institute, filed paperwork today for an initiative that would change how other initiatives in Washington work. He says his measure would force companies that gather signatures for initiatives to be more accountable.
Villeneuve says his initiative — the Petitioning Industry Accountability Act — is still in its early stages and might be revised, but its goal is to require initiative-gathering companies to pay their share of taxes and comply with worker protection laws. The initiative-gathering industry, Villeneuve believes, needs to be more accountability, especially because it’s often funded by the wealthy.
Villeneuve is one of for-profit initiative entrepreneur Tim Eyman's most consistent critics.
