Blog

Workers' Compensation Reforms in Other States

Apparently Washington wasn’t the only state to make significant changes to its workers’ compensation system this year.  An article in Stateline today discusses cost-cutting measures that were enacted in several states.  The article also includes a handy sidebar with the key changes made in Montana, Illinois, Oklahoma, Washington, Kansas, and North Carolina. Like Washington, Montana […]

Pessimistic State Economic & Revenue Update

Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) staff today released the monthly Economic and Revenue Update for August. Here are the document's summary bullet points: The national economic outlook has weakened significantly since our last forecast. There is now an even greater chance of slipping back into recession. Washington’s economic outlook has also dimmed as consumer […]

First media coverage of our impact analysis of I-1183 liquor privatization

Credit to Erik Smith at Washington State Wire for his report on the revenue impact analysis Special Report we released yesterday. An initiative that would shutter the state liquor stores would generate huge revenue for state and local governments – an extra half-billion dollars over the first five years alone, according a new report from the […]

Initiative 1183 Would Produce Revenue Gains for State and Local Governments

The Research Council has published a Special Report on I-1183. Briefly: Initiative 1183 would end the state monopoly over the liquor sales and distribution system in Washington. Our analysis shows that state and local governments would gain $443 million in additional revenue over six years under the initiative, compared to the current state monopoly baseline. […]

States will feel the impact of federal deficit reduction

In my column today, I discuss the growing reliance of state governments on federal funding. In 2008, before the stimulus act, federal funds accounted for about 26 percent of total state spending. With the stimulus, that share rose to nearly 35 percent in 2010, returning to pre-stimulus levels next year, long before state revenues recover. […]

New interstate comparison of business taxes – WA still high

The Council on State Taxation released its annual report on business taxes. The research, conducted by Ernst & Young LLC, is the most comprehensive analysis available. The press release highlights document the lingering effects of the recession (data are for 2010). Key findings of the study include: After falling by 0.9% in FY2009, state and […]

ESD Estimates Washington Gained 3,600 Jobs in June, Unemployment Rate Up 0.1 to 9.2 Percent

The state Employment Security Department today issued its monthly estimates of employment and the unemployment rate. The estimated unemployment rate increased to 9.2 percent in June from 9.1 percent in May. Seasonally adjusted, the total number of non-farm jobs increased by 3,600, to 2,827,700 in June from 2,824,100 in May. The state has added 59,200 […]

Governors expect tough times to linger

News from the National Governors Association summer meeting in Salt Lake City was decidedly grim. State governments, beneficiaries of stimulus dollars that sustained spending during the worst days of the recession, continue to face ongoing fiscal challenges. As the governors watch the debt and deficit debates in D.C., most acknowledge the end of federal assistance. […]

Minnesota shutdown ending with budget agreement

Minnesota’s two-week government shutdown appears to have been resolved. I wrote about it in this column, drawing a comparison with the federal debt ceiling and deficit showdown. The Republican legislature and Democratic governor travel down a well worn road to covering budget gaps. The deal raises the revenue Dayton sought — $1.4 billion — but […]

Disappointing July Revenue Collections Report

The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (EFRC) issued its monthly Economic and Revenue Update today. Once again revenue has come in under forecast. For the month, General Fund–State collections were $22.1 million (1.7 percent) less than the amount anticipated under the forecast adopted in June. Of this $22.1 million, $4.1 million was an unanticipated refund. […]