Emily Makings

New House budget would still spend much more than the Senate on non-education

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee passed the budget proposed by Democrats. As passed, it would spend $525,000 more than proposed, or a total of $2.454 billion more than in 2011-13 (near general fund-state plus opportunity pathways, or NGFS+). After the House and Senate passed different versions of a 2013-15 budget, I wrote about the divergence […]

Public pension gain sharing and COLA cases will be heard together

According to the Department of Retirement Systems, The Washington State Supreme Court has agreed to accept direct review of litigation over discontinuation of annual benefit increases for retirees from two of the state’s older pension plans — and will hear that case in conjunction with arguments over a separate lawsuit related to gain sharing and […]

New action on the 2013-15 budget front

Finally we have movement in the 2013-15 budget process. The House Democrats’ have released a new proposal, which Rep. Pat Sullivan called a “substantial compromise.” The proposal would increase near general fund-state plus opportunity pathways (NGFS+) spending by $2.453 billion over 2011-13 and leave $606 million in reserves. It does not tap the budget stabilization […]

Additional workers' comp reforms could help build up reserves

Bill Weaver, President and CEO of Canyon Creek Cabinet Company, has an op-ed in the Everett Herald about why workers’ compensation reforms passed by the Senate earlier this year are a good idea. As he writes, “continued workers’ compensation reform is a key element of our state’s economic competitiveness.” Further, To compete worldwide, we depend […]

Why workers' comp benefits paid are the best indicator of system costs

As Dick noted on Wednesday, his column this week “debunks the charge that [business climate ranking] studies are bunk.” He also linked to the Washington Roundtable’s Benchmarks for a Better Washington, which look at how Washington does (compared to other states) on measures of innovation, quality of life, and business costs. Today, David Groves of […]

Paid sick leave mandates banned as often as adopted

An article in Stateline notes that New York City has joined the handful of jurisdictions that require employers to provide paid sick leave for their employees. The article highlights the controversial nature of such mandates, which are in effect in San Francisco, Washington DC, Connecticut and Seattle. Portland adopted paid sick leave in March; it […]

Assumptions gap complicates budget negotiations

In The News Tribune today, Jordan Schrader writes about how the House has some work to do on its budget even before considering the Senate’s proposal: As lawmakers debate how much money to spend on schools and state government, the budget proposal by House Democrats represents the high-water mark — one that even they cannot […]

State Supreme Court will hear public pension gain sharing case

According to the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS), the state Supreme Court will hear the appeal in the gain sharing case. The court may also hear the case regarding public pension automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Gain sharing was established in 1998. Under the program, extraordinary investment returns were used to enhance retirement benefits for certain […]

New Brief: Assumptions Gap Divides Legislative Budget Proposals

In a new policy brief, we take a look at the shaky assumptions made in the House and Senate 2013-15 operating budget proposals. Assumptions are made in revenue and spending levels that may not come to pass. We also discuss transfers from the capital budget and ending reserves.

Special session called, but operating budget not the only agenda item

The regular session of the legislature came to a close on Sunday, with no agreement on an operating budget for 2013-15. Gov. Inslee has called for a special session to begin May 13, but he did not limit its focus to the budget. In his press conference, he listed the following as priorities for the […]