Blog

Governor Gregoire’s 2011–13 Budget Proposal

Our Policy Brief on Gov. Gregoire’s 2011–13 budget proposal is available here.

Governor's 2011 Supplemental

We have a new policy brief on Gov. Gregoire’s proposed 2011 supplemental budget.  Although the legislature made deep cuts to the 2009-11 budget during its special session a few weeks ago, they did not completely close the gap.  The governor’s proposal would do so.  It takes into account revised estimates as to the costs to […]

Better Services, Lower Costs!

The third paper in the Thrive Washington series is now available.  The Case for Contracting Out: A Vital Tool to Help Balance Washington’s Budget and Improve Public Services shows how the state could save money by contracting out a variety of services it currently provides. Other states have had success with opening services to competitive […]

Only the Beginning

Today we published a policy brief on the special session that took place on Saturday.  As discussed in the brief, legislators made good headway in addressing the $1.1 billion 2009-11 budget shortfall:  They reduced it by $588 million. The $588 million comes in the form of budget reductions ($490.4 million), fund transfers ($54 million), a […]

Nine Steps to Budget Sustainability

Yesterday the second paper in the Thrive Washington series was released.  Nine Steps to Budget Sustainability in Washington State recommends changes to the state budget process and highlights areas requiring special attention. The steps are: 1. Manage the size and compensation of the state workforce to improve efficiency. 2. Improve budget transparency. 3. Reinstate a […]

Thrive Washington

It’s clear from yesterday’s defeat of I-1098 and approval of I-1107 and I-1053 that Washington voters do not want to be taxed more. At the same time, the state budget status quo is unsustainable.  To make policy recommendations that will put state government on a better path, the Washington Roundtable and the Washington Research Council […]

Initiatives 1100 and 1105: Ending the State's Liquor Monopoly

We have posted a brief on Initiatives 1100 and 1105, either of which would end the state’s liquor monopoly. This brief is available here.

Two More New Briefs

We have posted briefs on Initiatives 1082 and 1107. “Initiative 1107: A Response to Last Minute Tax Increases” in available here, while “Initiative 1082: A Choice for Industrial Insurance” is available here.

Two New Briefs

Today we have posted two new briefs. The first, Now is Not the Time To Raise Seattle Taxes, is available here. The second, I-1098 Income Tax Proposal: Wrong Diagnosis, Wrong Prescription (Second Edition), updates our June 8 brief on Initiative 1098 and is available here.

R-52 and I-1053

The Research Council has pubished briefs on Referendum 52 and Initiative 1053: The first, Referendum 52: $505 Million to Fund Energy Savings at Universities, Colleges and Public Schools, is available here. The second, Initiative 1053: Requiring a Two-Thirds Majority to Increase Taxes, is available here.