DOJ: Oregon schools initiative petition unconstitutional

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson has rejected an initiative petition that sought to make it easier to boost taxes on businesses to pay for public education.
 
The Republican based his decision on an Oregon Department of Justice opinion that the ballot measure didn’t pass legal muster because it tries to make two constitutional changes instead of one.
 
The petition backed by a teachers union would require the state Legislature to fund public education at a level consistent with the so-called Quality Education Model. Moreover, it would change the Legislature’s three-fifths majority requirement to raise taxes on businesses.
 
Oregon Education Association spokesman Charlie Lapham tells The Register-Guard (https://is.gd/ZEEwyh ) that the union is still considering a corporate tax hike proposal.
 
Petitioners can only start gathering signatures to get an item on the ballot after an initiative is deemed legally valid.