Richard S. Davis

Florida legislature rejects Medicaid expansion; states seek flexibility

The Florida legislature rejected Medicaid expansion, despite support from Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Sara Kliff, writing at the Washington Post’s Wonk Blog, notes that Scott’s not the only Republican governor trying to persuade his Legislature to accept the money that comes with the deal. In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich (R) is having trouble moving the Medicaid expansion […]

STEM, bachelor's degrees and the value of education

A recent Wall Street Journal commentary examined the value of a bachelor’s degree, adding fuel to simmering discussions of the student debt crisis, young adult unemployment, rising tuition, and degrees without workplace relevance.The piece by Jeffrey J. Selingo should be read in its entirety, but here’s a sample. Think a community-college degree is worth less […]

Oregon Medicaid study calls benefits of expansion into question

A closely watched study of Oregon’s 2008 Medicaid expansion has prompted some scholarly second-thoughts on the benefits of the program. While not all bad news, the results published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (link is to free preview) are less than optimal. This randomized, controlled study showed that Medicaid coverage generated no […]

States should pay attention to business climate studies, because costs matter

Good Jobs First, a left-leaning nonprofit, attracted a lot of attention this week with a new study claiming business climate studies are …politicized grab-bags of data. They have no predictive value and should not be used to inform public policies. Some of the attention came from one of the groups they criticized, the Beacon Hill […]

Focus on budget in Washington legislature's special session

As Emily posted earlier, Gov. Inslee has laid out an expanded agenda for the special session. Senate Republicans have called for a budget and jobs agenda. In my column, I encourage lawmakers to keep the focus tight. The governor’s proclamation:

Washington gets generally high marks in new U.S. Chamber report, lags in "talent pipeline"

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released its annual report on states’ economic and policy performance, with a special focus on small business. The 2013 Enterprising States report provides a lot of good, well-documented information for business owners and policymakers. We’ve written about it before before. As the state did last year, Washington shows up well. […]

Moving closer to internet sales tax — won't cure state budget woes

The U.S. Senate today took another step toward passing the Marketplace Fairness Act. The Hill reports, In a 75-22 vote, the Senate proceeded to The Marketplace Fairness Act, S. 743, which would empower states to collect taxes on purchases made online by consumers in their states. The latest vote suggests supporters of the bill are […]

New study finds Seattle has nation's 8th worst traffic congestion

Emily wrote earlier today about the House Transportation Committee’s work on a new funding plan. Also today the Puget Sound Business Journal reported on a new study confirming commuter perceptions. Seattle’s traffic problems are the eighth-worst in the country, according to a new study by Kirkland-based traffic data company Inrix. According to the sixth Inrix […]

A reminder: Washington leads the nation in liquor taxes

Beer drinkers may have caught a break when the House Finance Committee nixed higher beer taxes, but liquor drinkers get no such love. Here’s the Tax Foundation’s map of liquor excise taxes. Note Washington and Oregon come in #1 and #2. And then note the spread.  

Six southern cities in top 10 fastest growing metros – Seattle is No. 15

At his Urbanophile blog, Aaron M. Renn looks at the fastest/slowest growing metros in 2012. The top five are Nashville, Houston, Austin, Salt Lake City, and San Jose (proving that people still know the way). Silicon Valley continues to attract, despite California’s notoriously bleak economic climate. The other cities are in states generally considered business […]