Month: September 2015

August 11 to September 10 state revenue collections were $38.9 million greater than forecasted

The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council issued its monthly Economic and Revenue Update this afternoon. Here are the key bullets on revenue from the summary: Major General Fund-State revenue collections for the August 11 – September 10, 2015 collection period came in $38.9 million (3.0%) above the June forecast. Cumulatively, collections in the four months […]

Global health's impact on state economy

The Washington Global Health Alliance (WGHA) is out with a new “Landscape Study” on the economic impact of Washington-based global health alliances. From the executive summary: “Washington’s global health sector accounts for a growing portion of the state’s total economic activity. Global health organizations in Washington state directly accounted for $5.8 billion in output in 2013, […]

Policy Today, Common Ground edition: Rep. Norma Smith on reforming state regulations

New brief: I-1366: A Choose Your Own Tax Adventure for Legislators

In a new policy brief, we take a look at Initiative 1366, which will be on the ballot this fall. Briefly, I-1366 would reduce the state sales tax from 6.5 percent to 5.5 percent unless the Legislature refers a constitutional amendment to voters for approval. The constitutional amendment would require two-thirds legislative approval to increase […]

Highlights from the Supreme Court opinion that charter schools are unconstitutional

To the surprise of many, Friday afternoon the state Supreme Court found charter schools to be unconstitutional. Voters approved them with Initiative 1240 in 2012, and Washington’s first public charter school opened last year. Eight additional public charters opened this fall. In 2013, the League of Women Voters of Washington, the Washington Education Association and […]

Possible teacher strike in Seattle centers on pay, instructional time

Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle teachers union agreed over the Labor Day weekend on two items: recess time and pay for substitute teachers. As of this afternoon, however, teacher pay and the length of the school day remain major points of contention. Without a deal today, teachers will go on strike tomorrow – what […]

The latest news on teacher strikes

Teacher strikes are dominating local news headlines: The Seattle teachers' union yesterday voted to strike starting next Wednesday, Sept. 9 (the first day of school), if they don't reach an agreement with the Seattle School District. Pasco teachers, who've been on strike since the first day of school in that district on Sept. 1, were […]

InFocus podcast: NLRB ruling, stock market turmoil, state business tax rankings

Northwest Seaport Alliance hosts its largest container ship ever

Some good news from the new Northwest Seaport Alliance (the combined ports of Seattle and Tacoma): Yesterday the largest container ship that has ever come to the Puget Sound arrived in Seattle. With an 11,400 TEU capacity, the CMA CGM Callisto holds 40 percent more cargo than the Puget Sound’s regular clientele. “Ships continue to […]

Independent contractor or employee?

I wrote yesterday about the NLRB’s changing definition of who is an employer. Related to that: Who is an employee? In many cases, the changing nature of work has led to situations where the traditional employer-employee relationship no longer applies. One such case is Uber. Uber considers the drivers who provide rides through its app […]