Emily Makings

Too soon to tell if marijuana is driving an increase in fatal crashes

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission released new data this week that shows that marijuana is increasing as a factor in deadly crashes. The number of drivers involved in deadly crashes who tested positive for marijuana increased 48 percent from 2013 to 2014. Here’s the data. For comparison, from 2013 to 2014, the number of drivers […]

Will Sea-Tac wage increase be retroactive?

As I wrote yesterday, the state Supreme Court has ruled that SeaTac’s Proposition 1, which increased the minimum wage for certain workers (among other things), is applicable to workers at Sea-Tac airport. The measure went into effect Jan. 1, 2014. Does the ruling apply retroactively? The Seattle Times reports that the answer to that is […]

New report: Regulatory Reform: A Win-Win-Win for Agencies, Businesses, and Taxpayers

We have a new special report looking at a series of regulatory reform audits from the State Auditor’s Office. Briefly: Since 2011, the state auditor’s office (SAO) has been looking at regulatory reform. In 2015, it found that Washington does not take a strategic approach to multi-agency coordination. In 2013, the SAO found that for […]

WA Supreme Court: Prop. 1's $15 minimum wage and other labor provisions apply at Sea-Tac airport

This morning the state Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that SeaTac’s Proposition 1 applies to Sea-Tac airport. Prop. 1 was approved by voters in SeaTac in 2013. It established a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave benefits for certain hospitality, transportation, and airport workers. It also imposed restrictions on employers’ labor practices. (Here is our […]

WA Supreme Court finds that Legislature hasn't done enough on K-3 class size or compensation, imposes sanctions

The state Supreme Court has unanimously imposed sanctions on the Legislature for failing to comply with the Court’s order to submit a plan showing how the Legislature would fully fund basic education. (For background on the filings in the McCleary case since the end of the session, see here.) The Legislature will have to pay […]

Washington still has the nation's highest workers' compensation benefits costs

According to the National Academy of Social Insurance’s annual workers’ compensation report (released today), Washington has the nation’s highest benefits costs yet again. For 2013 (the data covered in this report), Washington’s benefits costs per covered worker were $826.94 (a slight decline over 2012). Alaska is the next highest ($808.43), followed by California ($799.25). When […]

Weather, apples, and the state economy

I wrote yesterday about how technology is making farming more productive. But despite these advances, farmers are still very exposed to the vagaries of the weather. According to the Yakima Herald-Republic (YHR), “Heat stress, water shortages and other factors likely will combine to make the 2015 apple crop smaller than last year’s record-setter.” More apple […]

New market problems

A couple of recent stories illustrate some of the difficulties businesses and industries can have in getting up and running. Washington’s new recreational marijuana market has faced many problems related to the fact that marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Banking is an example. A Crosscut article from earlier this month points to another […]

The future is on the farm

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting story about how farms are utilizing data and technology to be more productive. People often seem to have sentimental ideas about farming and ranching, so sentences like this may be surprising: “The world’s largest producer of autonomous four-wheeled vehicles isn’t Tesla or Google, it’s John Deere.” Unlike most […]

Portland is a cautionary tale for ports that do not stay competitive

The Port of Portland has lost most of its business, as I wrote in April. The Wall Street Journal has more on what has happened in Portland, providing lessons for other small ports. Although Seattle and Tacoma are gaining some of the business Portland has lost, they also face increased competition. Shipping companies are moving […]