With policy cutoff behind us the list of living and walking dead bills (nothing is really dead till sine die) is being compiled. Among the proposals that didn’t even receive a hearing, however, is a bill based on WPC’s recommendation for the…

Introduction On December 17, 2013, Governor Inslee announced his first full budget proposal, releasing his recommended 2014 supplemental budget. His 2013-15 budget proposal, announced early last year, was not a full bill but instead presented a…

How would you define the undisputed will of voters? Is it passing in every county of the state? Is it passing in 44 of the state’s 49 legislative districts (90 percent)? Is it receiving more votes than either President Obama or Governor Inslee in…

If a bill proposed by Spokane Sen. Michael Baumgartner becomes law, tuition at state colleges and universities would be capped at 10 percent of the state’s average wage. The 6th District Republican says the next phase of higher-education reform…

When the Governor announced his first full budget proposal (his 2013-15 proposal was an outline) on December 17 releasing his recommended 2014 supplemental budget, I was very curious to see how it would comply with the state’s spending limit….

On October 17, the State Supreme Court created a Grand Canyon sized loophole in Washington’s public records law by granting the Office of Governor (at the request of former Governor Gregoire) an exemption from public disclosure based on a…

In November the people of Washington will vote on Initiative 517. The measure would make several changes to state law concerning signature gathering for initiatives and referendums. Initiative 517 would increase the time period for gathering…

When the 2013 Legislative Session began this past January, tax increases in our state were a long shot. First there was the voters’ most recent confirmation, for the fifth time, of our state’s two-decade-old law requiring a supermajority…

The fiscal cards have all been dealt and it is time for budget writers in Olympia to unveil their plans for the state’s 2013–15 budget. The last card was the state’s March 20th Revenue Forecast. We now know budget writers will have…

Not only did voters for the fifth time in the past twenty years approve a supermajority for taxes requirement but they also are recommending that lawmakers repeal the two tax increases they adopted last session. Just in case a translation for these…

In November we will vote on Senate Joint Resolution 8221, a constitutional amendment to reduce the state debt limit over twenty years from nine percent to eight percent of average annual state revenues. The measure would also change how revenue is…

In a decision that guarantees the state’s 18 year old voter-approved 2/3 vote requirement for tax increases will remain at the forefront of the public debate, King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller ruled today the tax protection…

In a decision that guarantees the state’s 18-year-old voter-approved 2/3 vote requirement for tax increases will remain at the forefront of the public debate, King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller ruled today the tax protection requirement…

Do lawmakers in Olympia really want to hear from citizens on the bills they are considering, or are they more interested in catering to the needs of lobbyists and special interests? Although Washington’s lawmakers have adopted rules that…

A pension-debt tsunami is threatening states across the country. According to the Pew Center, states are facing nearly $1 trillion in unfunded pension liabilities including retiree health-care costs. While our situation is not as bleak as it is in…

The 2010 Legislative Session is scheduled to come to a close on March 11. Rumors of a special session, however, are starting to be heard in the halls of the capitol. Facilitating the consideration of numerous tax proposals now being debated is the…