Emily Makings

Goethe on trade and transportation

In Export Activity Boosts Washington’s Economy, the second part of our series Trade and Transportation, we look at export activity and the ports. There is stiff competition among ports for export business. Traditionally, Washington’s biggest competitors have been other ports on the U.S. west coast. . . . Washington’s ports face additional competition on the […]

WA had the nation's highest workers' comp benefits paid in 2011

Today the National Academy of Social Insurance released Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs, 2011. (This annual report has a two year data lag.) The report shows that in 2011, Washington still had the nation’s highest workers’ compensation benefits paid, at $835.40 $855.78 per covered worker. Alaska followed with $782.99 per covered worker. In terms […]

Special report: Proposition 1 and the "Living Wage Movement" in SeaTac: Increasing Unemployment, Decreasing Opportunity

A proposal on the November ballot in SeaTac would establish a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave benefits, and impose restrictions on employers’ labor practices. In a new special report, we consider the economic effects of Proposition 1. Our five main findings are: Approximately 5 percent of low wage jobs will be lost. Another […]

Education reforms from the 2013 legislative sessions

To be sure, the main education headline from the legislative sessions this year was that about $1 billion extra will be spent on K-12 education in 2013-15. A number of reform bills were also enacted, though, including: E2SSB 5329 establishes a process “to assign responsibility to the superintendent of public instruction to intervene in persistently […]

New brief: Trade-Dependent Washington Relies on Rail

In a new policy brief, Trade-Dependent Washington Relies on Rail, we take a look at the rail system in Washington, including funding sources and traffic estimates. As we conclude, Our state’s ability to maintain its nation-leading position as a hub for domestic and international trade depends on speedy, safe, and reliable transportation connections. Privately-owned freight […]

2013 action on transportation

In May, a 2013–15 transportation appropriations bill, ESSB 5024, was enacted. According to the House Office of Program Research, the budget includes “a continuation of budgetary activity but no significant new transportation projects.” Considering all fund sources, it is an $8.7 billion budget ($5.2 billion of which is for capital projects). Some of the projects […]

An October court date for pension policy

Oral arguments in the public pension gain sharing and automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) cases will be heard October 24 of this year. (Mark your calendars!) In the meantime, a few recent publications from the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) may be of interest. First, last month, CRR released a report on the funded status of […]

Ignoring McCleary, state budget balances over four years

The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council has released its official budget outlook, based on the 2013-15 operating budget passed by the legislature last month. Total ending reserves (including the budget stabilization account) are expected to be $1.326 billion for 2015-17. So, the 2013-15 budget balances over four years. (For information on the state’s four year […]

Report on paid sick leave in Seattle focuses on benefits offered prior to implementation, awareness of law

Seattle’s paid sick leave ordinance requires a written evaluation of the impacts this ordinance has had on employees and employers. This evaluation will include an assessment of patterns and practices relating to shift swapping, the potential abuse of leave by employees who take time for other than the intended purposes, use of explicit waivers of […]

New Brief: 2013-15 Operating Budget Mostly Avoids New Taxes, Prioritizes Education

In a new policy brief, we take a detailed look at the enacted 2013-15 state operating budget. Appropriations are about $2 billion higher than in 2011-13, as are total resources. The budget leaves $630 million in reserves.