Emily Makings

New Brief: The Budget Arc: State Spending from Expansion to Recession, 2003-2013

Our latest policy brief looks at state spending trends from 2003 to 2013.  The recession isn’t the only reason the state budget situation is such a mess.  Spending choices made in flusher years are also contributing factors. The numbers we cite for the 2011-13 biennium are as budgeted — they will be cut further.  The […]

Economic Assumption Changes for WA's Retirement Systems

Yesterday the Pension Funding Council met and agreed to make changes to the economic assumptions of state retirement systems, including lowering the investment return assumption from 8 percent to 7.9 percent for the 2013–15 biennium.  Additional reductions in later biennia were not agreed to at this time. At the end of August, the Office of […]

WRC Policy Briefs on Ballot Measures

Ballots are in the mail for the general election.  In case you missed any of them, here are our policy briefs on the ballot measures: Initiative 1183 Would Produce Revenue Gains for State and Local Governments State Analysts and WRC Agree: I-1183 Generates Positive State/Local Revenues I-1125: Jamming Transportation Planning I-1163: Once, Twice, Still Not […]

Boom and Bust

The top story in Stateline today is all about Washington: “Boeing and Microsoft boom, but Washington State busts.”  It’s a downer of a story, which will be no surprise to anyone that’s been paying attention to the state budget over the last few years. The article says that Washington’s budget problems stand out from those […]

New Brief: I-1163: Once, Twice, Still Not a Priority

We have taken a look at Initiative 1163, and the resulting policy brief is here. I-1163 would essentially make the state implement training and background check requirements for long-term care workers (which were approved by voters in 2008) this biennium.  The program never had a dedicated source of funding, and the legislature has never implemented […]

From the Auditor: An Inventory of State Regulations

The state auditor’s office is undergoing a series of audits “to determine whether Washington’s business regulations are streamlined, transparent and consistent.” Today, they released an inventory of all state regulations, by agency.  There is an Excel spreadsheet for each agency showing licenses, permits and inspections required by each.  The information includes the purpose of license/permit/inspection, […]

New Brief: I-1125: Jamming Transportation Planning

We have a new brief today on Initiative 1125, which would affect tolling and transportation policy in Washington. The initiative would forbid the transfer of revenues in the motor vehicle fund or any toll fund to the general fund; require that lanes funded by the gas tax or tolls be used for highway purposes; require […]

Arkansas' Budget System and Prioritization

Arkansas, apparently, is one state that has managed to weather the recession fairly well.  Stateline has an article today about the state's budget process, which is quite interesting: Every two years lawmakers pass a list of appropriations, and agencies project what they will need to run their programs. Then those funding requests are divided into […]

New Brief: SJR 8206: A Prudent Savings Measure

In our new brief, we take a look at SJR 8206 — a constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot in November. The amendment would save any extraordinary revenue growth (growth that exceeds by one-third the average revenue growth over the prior five biennia) in the Budget Stabilization Account.  Years in which there is […]

Overpayment of Unemployment Benefits in WA

In a blog post yesterday, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) has released data on overpayment of unemployment benefits.  As part of a plan to lower these overpayments, DoL will target certain states with high overpayment rates–including Washington. Nearly $19 billion in state unemployment benefits were paid in […]