Washington Research Council

As chair of the House Public Safety Committee, state Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland), has taken a collaborative approach to lawmaking, bringing everyone to the table to write legislation on a variety of issues including impaired driving and domestic violence. In this episode we explore his process which emphasizes problem-solving over partisanship.

State Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island) was one of the key players in getting the 2015 transportation revenue package across the finish line. It was a long, contentious process, but in this week's episode she explains how persistence paid off.

We're thrilled to be talking with legendary journalist, columnist and commentator Mort Kondracke about this truly bizarre presidential election cycle. Mr. Kondracke is offering a preview of his upcoming speech at the Washington Research Council's 84th Annual Dinner May 19 in Bellevue.

With the 2016 legislative session behind us, we're looking ahead to what's sure to be an intense session next year. At the top of the list is full state funding of K-12 basic education, per the state Supreme Court's McCleary ruling. We talk this and other big issues coming up in 2017.

The state legislature adjourned March 29 after lawmakers agreed on a compromise supplemental operating budget. We discuss what's in the budget, plus the ever-present issue of K-12 education funding and the McCleary case.

Today we're looking at the two supplemental budget proposals in the state Legislature, from the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate.

Today we cover the state's preliminary economic forecast for February, as well as an interesting state Supreme Court ruling on a "community bill of rights" initiative in Spokane.

Democratic state Rep. Marcus Riccelli and Republican Rep. Hans Zeiger, members of the under-40 caucus in the Legislature, join us for a discussion on bipartisanship in Olympia.

In this episode we delve into Washington state's teacher shortage, as well as Gov. Jay Inslee's proposal to raise teacher and administrative and classified staff salaries and funding for new teacher mentoring.

In this episode we discuss minimum wage - as The Seattle Times reports, "[t]he International Franchise Association has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in its continuing fight against a part of Seattle’s $15 minimum-wage law the association says discriminates against franchise owners." Also the latest on McCleary, with legislation setting a timeline for achieving full state funding of K-12 basic education making its way though the Legislature. And finally, hip and knee replacement surgery is on the rise - what does it mean for quality of life and measuring output of our healthcare sector?

State Rep. Dan Kristiansen, the Republican leader in the state House, joins us to talk about the future of charter school legislation - he says there are enough votes to pass a Senate-approved bill, but the big question is if House leadership will allow it to be heard in committee. Also, he explains why getting more data from local school districts is so important for the final McCleary fix - turns out, some of the numbers legislators were originally given overstated how much state money the districts would need.

This episode focuses on yesterday's King County Superior Court ruling that Initiative 1366 is unconstitutional, as well as the most recent state employment report.

In this episode we expand on our recent report, which found that Washington state's businesses account for 58% of state and local tax collections.

We're into week one of session, and are delving into the big issues: Minimum wage and paid sick leave, state revenues, McCleary and charter schools. On McCleary we discuss a possible legislative plan and point out the incredibly complex issues involved - issues that can't be resolved in a supplemental budget year.

The state legislature convenes Jan. 11 for its 2016 session, and we're looking at some of the budget issues confronting lawmakers. Plus, we briefly discuss legislation to keep charter schools open.

In today's episode we're discussing our series of reports comparing spending and revenues of five counties: King, Pierce, Snohomish, Benton and Franklin.

In this episode we're discussing a national report on state expenditures, state health plan enrollments, re-authorization of the Export-Import Bank, and various bits of aerospace news.

As the 2016 state legislative session approaches, we're continuing our coverage of McCleary and K-12 education funding - this time with state Sen. Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge Island). Sen. Rolfes talks about putting together a plan for how the state will comply with McCleary, ongoing discussions about what comprises basic education, and progress on a new teacher salary structure. (Excuse the background radio noise, by the way - our equipment picked up some interference.)

Today we're discussing two recent studies on state business taxes, from the Council on State Taxation and the Tax Foundation.

It's time for a new state employment report, plus an update to the state revenue forecast and state budget outlook, a final decision from the state Supreme Court on charter schools, and Washington's ranking (first in the nation) on cell-phone taxes.