Can WA Eliminate Public Pension COLAs?
In 2011, the legislature eliminated future automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for members of the Public Employees’ Retirement System Plan 1 (PERS 1) and the Teachers’ Retirement System Plan 1 (TRS 1). As we wrote in an April 2011 policy brief, In 1995, the legislature passed a bill providing retirees in PERS 1 and TRS 1 […]
November 19 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom
Monthly jobs report shows 6,700 gain for October in Washington
(Originally posted on 11/15/2012) According to preliminary estimates prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and released today by the state Employment Security Department (ESD), Washington’s economy gained 6,700 jobs between the September and October reporting periods. The preliminary estimate of the October unemployment rate for the state is 8.2 percent. The estimate of […]
November 19 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Flat revenue forecast, 4-year budget outlook remains grim
The official state revenue forecast released today is little changed from the September report. Overall changes to the revenue forecast are slight. Forecasted revenue for the current biennium has been increased by $8 million, with a $31 million positive variance in collections since the September forecast partially offset by a weaker forecast going forward. Forecasted […]
November 19 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
From fiscal cliff to affordable care act, plenty of post-election unfinished business
Remember when elections settled things? OK, I don’t either. But there’s more than the usual clutter of unresolved issues on the agenda this year. The Los Angeles Times has a nice roundup of the states of health care, as more Republican governors opt not to set up the state exchanges prescribed by the Affordable Care […]
November 01 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Charter Schools and Low-Performing Students
In an October 2012 preliminary working paper, Ron Zimmer of Vanderbilt and Cassandra Guarino of Indiana University consider whether public charter schools “push out” low-performing students. The idea is that charter schools might try to improve their performance by “educating fewer challenging students.” But, as the authors say, “the claim of ‘pushing out’ low-achieving students […]
October 31 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Study: Fully funding public pensions in Washington would require $1,371 per household per year
As Josh Barro wrote this summer, Pensions are complicated, and when they are not causing huge problems, they are boring . . . . Consequently, it has been easy for lawmakers to ignore the long-term risks to which they have been exposing taxpayers; it has not been hard for public-employee unions to talk these lawmakers […]
October 25 , 2012 - Kriss Sjoblom
New WRC Report: Washington's Prosperity Depends on Vibrant Tech Sector
The Research Council has posted a report titled “Washington’s Prosperity Depends on Vibrant Tech Sector,” which can be downloaded here. Briefly: Washington’s vibrant tech cluster has had a strong, positive effect on the state economy. The sector accounts for nearly two-thirds of Washington’s job growth since 1990 and more than half of the growth in […]
October 24 , 2012 - Emily Makings
New Brief: A Complex Maze of State and Local Laws and Regulations
As we have noted previously (see here and here), the state auditor’s office is working on a performance audit of the state regulatory system. So far, an inventory of state regulations and a report on communicating regulatory information and streamlining business rules have been completed. Two key points from the latter are: Ultimately, anything other […]
October 23 , 2012 - Richard S. Davis
Washington ranks 28th in Tax Foundation new tax burden report
State and local taxes in Washington amount to 9.3 percent of state income, according to a new analysis by the Tax Foundation, ranking the state No. 28 in state-local tax burden. The Tax Foundation estimates for 2010 differ from most governmental reports, in that the Foundation accounts for “tax exporting.” This is most dramatic in […]
October 22 , 2012 - Emily Makings
New Brief: Labor Costs in Washington
In a new policy brief today, we take a general look at some aspects of labor costs in Washington. Unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation have been reformed recently by the legislature, but they remain costly compared to other states. Additionally, Washington’s minimum wage is the highest in the country, and laws regarding prevailing wage, paid […]