Judicial Branch Spending
Last week, the Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court, Barbara Madsen, wrote an article in the News Tribune on the impact of budget cuts on the state’s judicial system. She writes, In a September 2010 survey on funding impacts, Pierce County courts reported cutting several weeks of jury trials. That resulted in a growing […]
November 11 , 2011 - Kriss Sjoblom
October 11 to November 10 State Revenue Collections $22.5 Million Below Forecast
The Washington State Economic and Revenue Council (EFRC) today issued its November Economic and Revenue Update. Here is the summary: The U.S. economy has performed as expected in the last forecast, but the outlook remains extremely uncertain. Like the nation, the Washington economy has performed close to expectation. The state continues to benefit from strength […]
November 09 , 2011 - Emily Makings
More on the Governor's Budget Reduction Alternatives
About two weeks ago, Governor Gregoire released a list of budget reduction alternatives — both her preliminary choices for cuts ($1.65 billion) and additional alternatives ($3.84 billion). (She will officially propose a 2012 supplemental budget later this month.) She also includes additions to the reserve of $390 million (from delaying the June 30, 2013 apportionment […]
November 08 , 2011 - Emily Makings
Thrive Washington: Setting Priorities, Marking Progress
The last of nine Thrive Washington papers is now available: Setting Priorities, Marking Progress. Thrive Washington is a research series developed by the Washington Roundtable and the Washington Research Council. Other papers focused on fiscal policy, business costs, competitive sourcing, health care, government restructuring, regulatory reform, and economic development. The final paper reviews progress made by […]
November 08 , 2011 - Emily Makings
New Brief: The Budget Arc: State Spending from Expansion to Recession, 2003-2013
Our latest policy brief looks at state spending trends from 2003 to 2013. The recession isn’t the only reason the state budget situation is such a mess. Spending choices made in flusher years are also contributing factors. The numbers we cite for the 2011-13 biennium are as budgeted — they will be cut further. The […]
November 02 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
A look at the budget math for the special legislative session (and the general)
In my column in The News Tribune this morning, I examine the tough math facing lawmakers and the governor as they try to balance the state budget, which now faces a $2 billion gap between available revenues and planned spending. The economy, under the most optimistic growth scenarios, will not grow fast enough to fill […]
October 31 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
Boeing CEO explains what business wants from the other Washington
A good op-ed by Boeing CEO Jim McNerney appears in today’s Wall Street Journal. For the good of the nation, our elected leaders must now find it within themselves to pass sound laws, regulate judiciously, and put aside escalating tactical political battles. If the super committee succeeds [in its deficit-reduction mission], the White House and […]
October 28 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
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). […]
October 28 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
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 […]
October 28 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
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 […]