Emily Makings

The 2011-13 Budget Deal

The 2011-13 budget deal announced today includes NGFS+ expenditures of $32.203 billion.  That's $237.1 million less than in the House-passed budget, and $77.0 million more than the Senate-passed budget. According to the budget documents, the proposal includes $4.1 billion in spending reductions, $459 million in transfers to the general fund, $57 million in budget driven […]

The Costliness of Washington's Workers' Compensation System

As the debate over workers’ compensation reform continues, a questionable number keeps popping up related to the costs of Washington’s system compared to other states. As we have consistently argued (see here, here, and here), the workers’ compensation system in Washington must be reformed.  Washington has the nation’s second highest benefits per covered worker ($778.36 […]

State Agency Consolidations Under Consideration

Before the legislative session began this year, Governor Gregoire made several suggestions to reorganize and consolidate state agencies.  She recommended that the state consolidate education agencies, natural resource agencies and central services; centralize IT by creating the Consolidated Technology Services agency; create an Office of Civil Rights; eliminate 36 boards and commissions; and consolidate the […]

Thrive Washington on Economic Development

The latest Thrive Washington paper is now available. Economic Development: Moving Washington State Forward Into Recovery covers education and business climate, as well as more direct economic development policies.  From the conclusion: Public and private groups have made proposals that would enhance the education of our  students to ensure they are prepared to enter the […]

Contracting Out and the Budget

The Olympian today has a piece focusing on proposals to contract out some state services in the 2011-13 budget.  It also touches on state employee reactions to the proposals and talks about some of the merger ideas from the governor. The Senate budget calls for contracting out more of the state’s back-office work, a small […]

CBO on Public Pensions

If our recent policy brief on public pensions piqued your interest in the subject, you’re in luck — the Congressional Budget Office has released its own issue brief: The Underfunding of State and Local Pension Plans. I was glad to see it, because it does a good job of explaining the issues involved, in a […]

New Brief on How Public Schools Fare in 2011-13 Budgets

Following last week’s brief on proposed 2011-13 expenditures in the human services budget area, today we take a look at public schools.  (See also this brief for an overview of the House and Senate budget plans.) Spending on public schools would increase over 2009-11 levels in both the House- and Senate-passed budgets.  Maintenance level changes […]

Annual vs. Biennial Budgeting

In March, the Pew Center on the States and the Rockefeller Institute of Government released a study on revenue estimating in the states.  They found that in 2009, the errors by states in forecasting personal income, sales, and corporate income tax collections added up to a $49 billion unexpected revenue shortfall. Additionally: In the states […]

Pew on Public Pensions

This week the Pew Center on the States put out a report on state pensions and retiree health care costs.  Pew finds that the gap between the promises states made for employees’ retirement benefits and the money they set aside to pay for them grew to at least $1.26 trillion in fiscal year 2009, resulting […]

New Brief: For Human Services, Cuts All Around

A policy brief from last week, So Close and Yet So Far Away, gave an overview of the spending plans and balance sheets of the House- and Senate-passed 2011-13 budgets.  It also promised more details on a few key budget areas. The first of these additional briefs provides a comparison of spending on human services […]