Blog

New WRC president

We are pleased to announce that Lew Moore has been hired as our new president. The press release is below:   WASHINGTON RESEARCH COUNCIL HIRES NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE The board of the Washington Research Council, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy research organization, is pleased to announce the hiring of Lew Moore as its new president. […]

Reframing the education funding debate: Time to move the goalposts?

Give former state Sen. Jim Kastama credit for his op-ed in today’s Seattle Times. Kastama says what few others have said publicly. He takes a look at the legislative history of ESHB 2261, the legislation setting school funding goals that have become the state Supreme Court’s standard for full funding of basic education in the […]

Governor proposes $2.3 billion education package, doesn't fund I-1351 class size reduction

Gov. Jay Inslee launched his extended budget rollout by focusing on education. This is, of course, the fun part of the rollout, talking about what the new spending will buy before having to get to the grit of new taxes. It’s, well, let’s just use the governor’s own characterization, Inslee proposes boldest new efforts in […]

Washington ranks No. 8 in latest Forbes "best states for business" rankings

In Forbes magazine’s 2014 Best States for Business, Washington finishes in 8th place. Not bad in the 50 state field. Win, place and show go to Utah, North Dakota and North Carolina, respectively. As is common in the Forbes rankings, Washington fares best on measures of economic vitality and falls down on business costs and quality […]

Clarifying the 2015 budget picture

Kriss posted yesterday on the improved revenue picture. As Brad Shannon reports, the higher revenue collections are accompanied by higher caseload and enrollment numbers. State budget director David Schumacher told the Caseload Forecast Council meeting in Olympia that an expected increase in K-12 school enrollments alone may add $380 million to the state’s costs through June 2017, which […]

Voters delivered a sensible message: What it means for 2015

In my column yesterday I assessed last week’s election, finding parallels between the national and Washington state outcomes. Using national trends to interpret our state elections can be risky. We’re different out here and proud of it. But last week showed some unmistakable signs that the wave sweeping most of the country splashed us as […]

Supporting biotech and more with growth-oriented tax policy

H. Stewart Parker, a pioneer in Washington’s life sciences industry, writes in today’s Seattle Times that our state risks falling behind in the competition for biotech investment. Washington has a lot going for it business-wise, but we must not underestimate the competition for the life-sciences industry. The Washington state Legislature did not renew our industry tax […]

Next year's legislature must address transportation funding

In my column today, I revisit the Washington Roundtable-Boston Consulting Group report we posted on last week. According to BCG, a $7 billion investment would return $42 billion in value over 30 years. The benefits show up in reduced congestion costs, improved safety, lower vehicle operating costs, expanded port activity, and lower future repair costs. […]

Washington stays at No. 11 on Tax Foundations 2015 State Business Tax Climate Index

The Tax Foundation today releases its 2015 State Business Tax Climate Index, again finding Washington among the best, just out of the top ten at No. 11. From the group's press release for Washington. The breakdown of Washington’s ranking this year is as follows (1st is best, 50th is worst): * Washington’s overall State Business […]

7% return on transportation infrastructure investments; payback in 17 years

At New Geography, Susanne Trimbath reviews the economic benefits of smart transportation investment. Investments that improve the performance of transportation in the US will pay for themselves in 17 years through increased economic activity and the resulting gains in federal tax revenue. The rate of return for national investments in transportation is 7%, significantly more than […]