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Governor wants state workers to pay more for health care benefits…they decline

State workers enjoy significantly richer health care benefits than do most private sector employees, as documented in this Thrive Washington paper. Currently, Washington pays 88 percent of the premium costs for state employees for individual or family coverage.  In 2003-05, state employees paid, on average, 16.3 percent of the cost of their coverage (up from 6 percent in FY2001). […]

Taxes on table in NY, Colorado; California governor wants pension reform

As Washington lawmakers look at bleak budget options, they may find some guidance in proposals elsewhere. Colorado voters decide the fate of Proposition 103 next Tuesday. Stateline.org describes it this way: Proposition 103, a measure that would increase sales and income taxes to provide money for public education. The controversial measure, which would generate $2.9 […]

Gregoire on Cutting $2 Billion from State Budget: "Dreadful"

Consider Gov. Gregoire's press conference yesterday the kickoff for the official annual budget contest (it just doesn't seem appropriate to call something this consequential a "game"). As Austin Jenkins writes in the Washington Ledge, the conference had an air of deja vu. Throughout the recession, we've witnessed many such announcements, with many of the same […]

Economic Assumption Changes for WA's Retirement Systems

Yesterday the Pension Funding Council met and agreed to make changes to the economic assumptions of state retirement systems, including lowering the investment return assumption from 8 percent to 7.9 percent for the 2013–15 biennium.  Additional reductions in later biennia were not agreed to at this time. At the end of August, the Office of […]

Boom and Bust

The top story in Stateline today is all about Washington: “Boeing and Microsoft boom, but Washington State busts.”  It’s a downer of a story, which will be no surprise to anyone that’s been paying attention to the state budget over the last few years. The article says that Washington’s budget problems stand out from those […]

Monthly State Revenue Collections Exceed Forecast by $10.6 million

The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council issued its monthly Economic and Revenue Update today. For the September 11 to October 10 collection period, collections exceeded the forecast by $10.6 million (1.1%). Quoting the Update's summary: The U.S. economy did not worsen in the last month, but the outlook remains extremely uncertain. The Washington economy is […]

New Brief: I-1163: Once, Twice, Still Not a Priority

We have taken a look at Initiative 1163, and the resulting policy brief is here. I-1163 would essentially make the state implement training and background check requirements for long-term care workers (which were approved by voters in 2008) this biennium.  The program never had a dedicated source of funding, and the legislature has never implemented […]

Arkansas' Budget System and Prioritization

Arkansas, apparently, is one state that has managed to weather the recession fairly well.  Stateline has an article today about the state's budget process, which is quite interesting: Every two years lawmakers pass a list of appropriations, and agencies project what they will need to run their programs. Then those funding requests are divided into […]

New Brief: SJR 8206: A Prudent Savings Measure

In our new brief, we take a look at SJR 8206 — a constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot in November. The amendment would save any extraordinary revenue growth (growth that exceeds by one-third the average revenue growth over the prior five biennia) in the Budget Stabilization Account.  Years in which there is […]

State Analysts and WRC Agree: I-1183 Generates Positive State/Local Revenues

We have posted a Policy Brief titled State Analysts and WRC Agree: I-1183 Generates Positive State/Local Revenues. Here is a link to the brief.