Emily Makings

Renovations for Seattle's PacMed Center costlier than anticipated

Interesting story from the Seattle Times on the saga of the PacMed Center in Seattle. (It’s the lovely and a bit imposing building that sits atop the hill just south of I-90 and east of I-5.) It fell on hard times after Amazon left in 2011, and in 2013 the state decided to lease it […]

Senate-passed operating budget would spend $1 billion less than House budget

Earlier this week the Senate passed a 2015-17 operating budget that would spend $37.958 billion. That’s an increase of $4.164 billion over 2013-15. The House has also passed a budget (see here); it would spend about $1 billion more. The chart below compares the policy changes made by each budget proposal. We’ll be writing more […]

Policy Today: Competing State Budgets: Revenue Review

More on the impacts of the ports slowdown, and problems in Portland

Although the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union reached a tentative deal in February (which is making its way through the approval process at the union), the effects of the slowdown reverberate. The Tri-City Herald reports that while shipping has improved, there are still backlogs, which has affected the agricultural industry: […]

Policy Today: Senate Budget

West Coast ports agreement moves along

According to the Wall Street Journal, a caucus of 90 delegates of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has voted to recommend to its full membership the agreement the union reached with the Pacific Maritime Association in February. The contract next will be put to a secret ballot of the union’s 20,000 workers at 29 […]

House passes a 2015-17 budget that would spend $38.962 billion

Yesterday the House passed a 2015-17 budget. Amendments increased NGFS+ spending over that approved by the House appropriations committee by $2.6 million, to $38.962 billion. Of the $2.6 million increase, $1.0 million is for project-based math and science. (According to the fiscal.wa.gov description: “Funding is provided for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction […]

Senate W&M increases proposed spending by $6.7 million

The two chambers are already moving closer together on the 2015-17 budget, if only by inches. Initially, the proposals’ expenditures were $1.017 billion apart. As I wrote yesterday, the House appropriations committee passed its proposal on Tuesday. Amendments reduced NGFS+ spending by $7.9 million. Yesterday the Senate ways and means committee passed its proposal. Amendments […]

House appropriations reduces spending in its budget proposal by $7.9 million

Yesterday the House appropriations committee amended and approved the chair’s 2015-17 budget proposal. Amendments reduced the proposed spending by $7.9 million, to a total of $38.959 billion NGFS+. The Senate ways and means committee is considering its chair’s proposal today. Below is a chart comparing the policy changes that are made by the Senate, as […]

Policy Today: House Appropriations Chair's 2015-17 Budget Proposal

    In our latest episode of Policy Today, Lew, Kriss and I talk about the 2015-17 budget proposed by the House Appropriations chair. To subscribe to our podcasts, go here.