House passes another budget, reform prospects still in doubt
No one need worry about whiplash incurred by following the slow budget lobs across the rotunda. The House passed another budget proposal yesterday. Olympian reporter Brad Shannon calls it a fresh sign of life. The plan’s fate in the Senate, which is missing Republican Leader Mike Hewitt due to health issues, remains unclear. Lt. Gov. […]
April 04 , 2012 - Emily Makings
New House Supplemental Proposal
The latest supplemental proposal is a striking amendment from Rep. Hunter. There’s a lot more of the same (this is the fifth different supplemental proposal): fund transfers, new revenue, spending reductions. In the two supplementals the House has already passed (2/29 and 3/8), a one-day delay in school apportionment payments was included, as a way […]
April 04 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Budget debates won't end when the gavel falls on the special session
In my column this morning, I suggest that the state’s ongoing budget shortfalls provide the proper lens through which we should view the coming election. The polar positions have been clearly defined. Reformers are calling for fundamental policy changes: conforming public employee pensions to fiscal reality and private sector norms, streamlining state operations, ending unfunded […]
April 03 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Budgets & Accounting
In a post at the New York Times' Economix blog, Bruce Bartlett discusses a recent staff discussion note from the International Monetary Fund: "Accounting Devices and Fiscal Illusions." It is about the budget tricks or gimmicks or stratagems that governments use to get around cutting spending or raising taxes. Or, as the discussion note puts […]
March 26 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom
Updated Rough Outlook for 2013-15
Here is an update to the rough “Outlook” for the 2013-15 biennium that I posted on March 10. The two largest changes from the previous version involve the treatment of the Senate’s suspension of contributions to the “Plan 1” pension plan (which had the effect of reducing the 2015 ending balance for the Senate budget […]
March 21 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Taxes in play for 2012 campaigns and 2013 legislative session
In my column this morning, I briefly review some of the trial balloons floated this session by advocates of higher taxes. In addition, I cite three recent studies examining our state’s business tax burden. We’ve written about the business tax research here previously. The three studies are the Tax Foundation’s Location Matters report, TF’s best […]
March 18 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Senate Reforms: Restructuring State Government
The last structural budget reform proposal from the Senate proposed supplemental is to create a commission focused on the restructure of state government. ESSB 6345 would establish the Agency Reallocation and Realignment of Washington (ARROW) commission.
March 18 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Senate Reforms: Balanced Budgets
Another of the reforms included in the Senate supplemental budget proposal is ESJR 8222, which would amend the constitution to require balanced budgets. It was passed by the Senate February 13, by a vote of 36-12. As the bill report mentions, The state Budget and Accounting Act requires the Governor to submit to the Legislature […]
March 18 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Senate Reforms: State Debt Limit
The Senate 2012 supplemental proposal includes a constitutional amendment that would change the state debt limit. ESJR 8221, which passed the Senate by a vote of 41-7 on March 5, would first change the calculation of the state debt limit so that it is based on six years of general state revenues. (The constitutional limit […]
March 16 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Senate Reforms: Public Employee Retirement
The Senate 2012 supplemental proposal would make changes to public employee retirement plans. ESB 6378 passed the Senate March 3, by a vote of 25-24. It would close Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), School Employees’ Retirement System (SERS), and Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) Plans 2 to new entrants as of July 1, 2012. It would […]