King County Superior Court judge finds I-1366 unconstitutional
A King County Superior Court judge has ruled that Initiative 1366 is unconstitutional. I-1366 was passed by voters in November. According to the judge's order, I-1366 violates article XXIII of the constitution (amendments must be proposed by the Legislature) by usurping the role of the legislature by proposing precise terms for a constitutional amendment while […]
January 14 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Joint offices of Benton and Franklin counties may be victims of growth
The Tri-City Herald has an interesting story about the end of Benton and Franklin counties' joint public defender office. According to the Herald, the joint office had been in place since 2007 and it was administered by Benton County. Benton and Franklin also have a combined human services agency (though the article notes that may […]
January 14 , 2016 - Emily Makings
New brief: Gov. Inslee’s 2016 Supplemental Operating Budget Proposal Would Increase 2015–17 Spending by 1.4 Percent
In a new policy brief, we look at Gov. Inslee's proposed 2016 supplemental operating budget. Briefly: Costs for firefighting and other services are significantly higher than anticipated when the original 2015–17 budget was enacted. The proposal would increase 2015–17 spending by $520.5 million. An additional $178.2 million would be spent from the Budget Stabilization Account […]
January 11 , 2016 - Mary Strow
2016 Legislative Session Begins Today
The state legislature convenes today, Jan. 11. This year is a short session, 60 days. It's also a "supplemental" budget year, which means lawmakers make relatively minor changes to the larger two-year budget they approved last session. Budget-wise, as we noted in an earlier post on Gov. Inslee's proposed supplemental budget, one of the big […]
December 28 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Will more education funding improve outcomes?
Today Opportunity Washington quotes a recent Seattle Times editorial: Gov. Jay Inslee refers to education spending as an investment, but he and other state officials must demonstrate to taxpayers that the investments are made in a way that actually improves results. Robin Lake, of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, makes the same point in […]
December 17 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Gov. Inslee proposes 2016 supplemental budget
Gov. Inslee has proposed his 2016 supplemental budget. It would increase near general fund-state plus opportunity pathways (NGFS+) spending for the 2015-17 biennium by $520.5 million. In addition to that spending, the governor would use $178.2 million of budget stabilization account funds for emergency fire costs. The table below shows the breakout of policy changes […]
December 16 , 2015 - Mary Strow
December 16 , 2015 - Emily Makings
County spending and revenue reports: Pierce, Snohomish, Benton and Franklin
Today we've published stand-alone reports on the spending and revenues of Pierce County, Snohomish County, Benton County, and Franklin County. Previously we released a report on King County and a complete report comparing the five counties.
December 14 , 2015 - Kriss Sjoblom
November 11 to December 10 state revenue collections were $16.1 million less than forecasted
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council issued its monthly Economic and Revenue Update last Friday. Here are the key bullets on revenue from the summary: Major General Fund-State revenue collections for the November 11 – December 10, 2015 collection period came in $16.1 million (0.8%) below the November forecast. The forecast included a $3.9 million […]
December 14 , 2015 - Mary Strow