Governance Publications

Title	Author	Publication Date	Summary
Simple Majority	WRC	Oct 05, 2007 12:00 AM	In November, Washington voters will decide whether to approve or reject EHJR 4202, a constitutional amendment that would allow property tax levies for public sc...
Looking Forward to a Rainy Day in November	WRC	Sep 28, 2007 12:00 AM	In November, Washington voters will decide whether to approve or reject SJR 8206, a constitutional amendment that would establish a "rainy day fund."
One Thing You Can Count on in Olympia is a Rainy Day	WRC	Feb 28, 2007 12:00 AM	The senate recently forwarded to the house a proposed constitutional amendment to create a “rainy day fund." If approved by the house and by voters in Novembe...
Vashon to Vote on PUD	WRC	Oct 03, 2006 12:00 AM	A proposal to create a Puublic Utility District will be on the November ballot.
Pay or Play: Yes, It’s a Threat	WRC	Mar 15, 2005 12:00 AM	The pay or play system of health insurance would impose a substantial payroll tax on some state businesses, raising their costs and hurting the overall competit...
Washington's Infrastructure Needs Part 4: Governance and Decision Making	WRC	Jan 26, 2005 12:00 AM	This is the fourth policy brief in a four-part Research Council series on Washington State’s infrastructure needs.
It Would Be A Dam Expensive Shame Boeing	WRC	Aug 12, 2003 12:00 AM	The Corps of Engineers calculates that breaching the four lower Snake River dams would cost the economy an average of nearly $300 million per year over 100 yea...
No Rush to Fund Collective Bargaining Agreement for Home Care Workers	WRC	Mar 17, 2003 12:00 AM	As a result of voter-approved Initiative 775, lawmakers are faced with a $98 million cost to implement a collective bargaining agreement between home care worke...
Board with Drugs	WRC	Feb 17, 2003 12:00 AM	E2SHB 1214 would create a Prescription Drug Quality and Purchasing Board to oversee a new state drug-purchasing consortium. However, the governor already has th...
Medical Assistance Challenges Policymakers	WRC	Jan 22, 2003 12:00 AM	This Policy Brief summarizes the Research Council's recent Special Report, The Medical Assistance Challenge.
Responsible Utility Regulation is a Key Competitiveness Issue	WRC	Jan 11, 2002 12:00 AM	The state should be more accommodating of requests by utilities to site transmission lines and other facilities on state lands and regulators should provide a ...
Responsible Utility Regulation is a Key Competitiveness Issue	WRC	Jan 11, 2002 12:00 AM	The state should be more accommodating of requests by utilities to site transmission lines and other facilities on state lands and regulators should provide a ...
Initiative 775: Wrong Road to Quality Care	WRC	Oct 25, 2001 12:00 AM	A new bureaucracy, expanded collective bargaining, and reduced legislative budget control would be delivered with passage of Initiative 775, a measure focusing ...
Energy Market Skewed by Subsidies	WRC	Aug 16, 2000 12:00 AM	Taxpayers subsidize the operations of publicly- and cooperativelyowned electric utilities. These subsidies which include tax exemptions and preferential access ...
Has Populist Reform Become Too Popular?	WRC	Jun 15, 2000 12:00 AM	To make government more responsive to the people, 24 states adopted the initiative and popular referendum some time between 1898 and 1918. Washington did so in ...
Some Gains for Business in 2000 Session	WRC	May 15, 2000 12:00 AM	State lawmakers passed several bills of interest to the business community during the 2000 legislative session. The even split between Democrats and Republican...
Single Payer Plan Proposed, Skepticism Advised	WRC	Feb 28, 2000 12:00 AM	Failure of the legislature to pass a bill aimed at saving the market for individual health insurance may increase the chances of success for an initiative that ...
WRC Board Hears Sonntag on Accountability	WRC	Feb 25, 2000 12:00 AM	Legislation that would create a “Citizen’s Alliance for Government Accountability” is languishing in the legislature.
Legislature Passes, Governor Signs Unemployment Insurance Bill	WRC	Feb 16, 2000 12:00 AM	SHB 3077 was the first bill signed in the 2000 legislative session. The bill provides short-term tax relief for employers and establishes a program of extended ...
Hope for Market-based Insurance Reform	WRC	Jan 31, 2000 12:00 AM	After the legislature imposed a radical health-care system on Washington in 1993, legislators later stripped away most it. But they left intact reforms aimed at...