Washington Research Council

Mary Strow

February 10 , 2017 - Mary Strow

New report says Washington leads the nation in evidence-based policymaking

The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative, a joint effort of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, recently named Washington state a leader in evidence-based policymaking. In a report issued just last month, the Results First Initiative singled out Washington (with Utah, Minnesota, Connecticut and Oregon rounding out the top […]


February 09 , 2017 - Mary Strow

Washington state Number Two in the nation for gas tax

The Tax Foundation is out with its annual rankings for state gas taxes (see map below), and Washington ranks second in the nation at 49.4 cents per gallon (numbers don't include the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon). But before you start wringing your hands, consider the Foundation's take on this particular form of […]


February 07 , 2017 - Mary Strow

90 Seconds podcast: Gov. Inslee's proposed 2017-19 state budget


February 07 , 2017 - Mary Strow

90 Seconds podcast: Washington ranks high for business tax burden


February 07 , 2017 - Mary Strow

90 Seconds podcast: How Washington's petroleum refining industry contributes to the economy


February 07 , 2017 - Mary Strow

90 Seconds podcast: A quick McCleary re-cap


January 27 , 2017 - Mary Strow

Senate Republicans' K-12 education funding plan is here

This morning, state Senate Republicans (aka the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus) released their plan for fully funding K-12 education and complying with the state Supreme Court McCleary ruling. They are calling it the "Education Equality Act." You can read the overview and a more detailed list of components below. No legislation is posted yet. We'll provide you […]


January 27 , 2017 - Mary Strow

InFocus Podcast: Washington businesses pay 58% of state & local taxes, plus more


January 25 , 2017 - Mary Strow

New Policy Brief: Washington State Businesses Pay 58 Percent of State and Local Taxes

We're out with a new policy brief on business taxation, "Washington State Businesses Pay 58 Percent of State and Local Taxes." It gives an overview of how and how much Washington businesses are taxed, and compares us to the rest of the country. Here are some highlights: The percentage of Washington’s private sector gross state […]


January 24 , 2017 - Mary Strow

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal is dead. Reactions from Washington state.

Yesterday President Donald Trump officially abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, just as he'd promised during the campaign. The TPP, as it is known, was a pending deal between the U.S. and 11 other nations. You can read more, and listen to our podcast about it, here. Not surprisingly, trade advocates in Washington – the […]