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February Economic and Revenue Update

The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council's February Economic and Revenue Update was released today. The key number is $44.8 million. This is the cumulative shortfall in collections over the three months since the November update to the general fund revenue forecast. Today's report increases the likelihood that the next revision to the revenue forecast, which […]

Tuition Transfer

This follow-up to Emily’s earlier post on the Senate’s early action supplemental budget proposal (Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1086) provides a bit more detail with respect to higher education. The Senate-passed early action budget (the Senate Ways and Means Committee staff summary of the chair’s proposal is available here, the bill [big file] is available […]

Senate W&M 2011 Supplemental Plan

Today the Senate Ways and Means (W&M) Committee released its plan to chip away some more at the remaining 2009-11 budget shortfall.  Like the supplemental passed by the House, this proposal would not close the entire shortfall.  Also like the House-passed version, Senate W&M would make transfers from numerous accounts into the general fund.  In […]

Thrive Washington suggests positive ideas to put state on sustainable budget path

Thrive Washington, a research and communications partnership between the Research Council and Washington Roundtable, has looked at budget reforms, contracting out, and health care policy. This series of white papers provides a good platform for responsible state budgeting in hard times. And, these proposals will accelerate the transition to better times. Sunday, the Herald of […]

House-passed 2011 Supplemental

On Monday, the House passed a 2011 supplemental bill that reduces the NGFS shortfall by $346 million.  (The vote on final passage was 55-43.)  Our brief on the bill is available here. Unfortunately, although it does make significant spending cuts, the bill does not fully address the shortfall–some $160 million remains.  In the brief, we […]

House GOP 2011 Supplemental Amendment

Yesterday Rep. Alexander released an amendment to strike SHB 1086, the 2011 Supplemental bill that was approved by the House Ways and Means (W&M) committee earlier this week.  (The amendment and a summary of its effects can be accessed here.) Like the W&M bill, the amendment includes a combination of spending reductions and fund transfers.  […]

The House Democrats' 2011 Supplemental

Yesterday the House Democrats released their proposed 2011 Supplemental (HB 1086).  It does not cut as deeply as the governor's proposal, which would cut $255 million (NGFS+Opportunity Pathways).  Instead, the House Democrats would cut $216 million.  Some differences are: The House Democrats would suspend the Becca/Truancy Program, to save $3.1 million. They cut Regional Support […]

About Those Tuition Increases…

The theme of this week's posts at the Becker-Posner blog is tuition increases at public universities.  Posner argues that keeping tuition low for all students–regardless of ability to pay–is unwarranted: In any event, there is no case at all from an overall social standpoint for subsidizing students who would pay full college tuition, without the […]

Health Care and Employee Benefits Spending Charts

In her State of the State address yesterday (reported on by the Seattle Times here), Gov. Gregoire pointed to two areas of state spending that must be tackled, for the long-term health of the budget:  health care and pension spending.  The governor noted that health care costs have doubled over the past decade, while pension […]

January Collections Report

The Office of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council today released the January Economic and Revenue Update. The “headline” numbers show collections for the most recent month to be $36.9 million (3.4 percent) greater than anticipated under the November revenue forecast. Cumulatively, for the two months since the November forecast, revenues are $61.0 million (2.3 […]