Republican lawmakers advanced four measures on Thursday that would effectively curb the right of individuals to propose their own laws without legislative interference.
The effort came after intense lobbying by business interests upset that voters approved the state’s minimum wage to hike from $10 an hour to $12 an hour by 2020.
Tomas Robles was behind Proposition 206. He says the proposed bills are being advanced by interests opposed to his measure, "and instead of seeing the will of the voters, you see the will of the Chamber of Commerce. You see the will of corporations that put profits over people."
Two of the measures would be up to voters to approve. All four proposed bills — HRC 2002, HRC 2007, HB 2255 and HB 2320 — are now moving to the House.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to reflect the correct byline and include the bills' numbers.