Washington State Budget & Policy Center

To create a just and prosperous Washington, we develop progressive solutions based on sound research and work with community partners to shape the debate on budget and tax reform.

BUDGET & POLICY NEWS

I-1033: What's At Stake for Washington State

I-1033 is a ballot initiative expected to qualify for the November 2009 ballot. Our analysis finds that it would:

Constrict the ability of state, county, and city governments to make essential public investments.
Exacerbate the effects of economic and fiscal downturns.
Increase the current deficit by half a billion dollars.

Watch the slideshow below for more details:

Increasing Access to Healthy Food

A recent report issued by the Washington State Budget & Policy Center finds that for those living in poverty and struggling to keep food on the table, financial and geographic barriers make it harder to shop at grocery stores. As a result they often turn to corner markets or gas station mini marts for food where there are fewer healthy options.

Read the Press Release

Read the Policy Brief

How to Lower Costs of Climate Change Policies for Consumers

The Budget and Policy Center is releasing a new policy brief today on a federal climate rebate proposal. With cap-and-trade legislation currently being drafted in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, it is critical that lawmakers adequately address the regressive financial impact that any carbon-pricing policy will have on lower and moderate income households. The paper provides a framework for how a climate rebate assisting lower and moderate income households can be integrated into federal climate policy. Read the policy brief.

A Fair Sales Tax for Health and Economic Security
The House Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee passed a referendum to temporarily raise the state retail sales tax from 6.5 to 6.8 cents to generate revenue for essential health care investments. The proposal includes implementing the Working Families Tax Rebate to offset the costs of the tax increase for lower income families. This policy protects the health and well-being of lower income adults and children in Washington during the economic recession and recognizes the need for progressive tax reform in our state. To read a statement by the Budget & Policy Center on this policy proposal, click here. For more information on the Working Families Tax Rebate, click here.

Policy Brief: Working Families Tax Rebate

The Working Families Tax Rebate is an effective tool the state can use as part of a strategy for economic and fiscal recovery. It builds on the highly successful federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which lifts millions of people out of poverty nationwide each year. Washington lawmakers should consider raising revenue to avoid deep budget cuts that will harm the state and use the Working Families Tax Rebate to offset the disproportionate impact a regressive tax increase would have on lower income families. Read the Policy Brief here, and track additional analysis on our blog, schmudget.

The High Cost of Subprime Lending in Washington State

Our report finds costly mortgages for Latinos and African Americans and suggests that Washington State may not yet have seen the worst of the mortgage crisis. Read the report and our press release.

Report Charts a Shared Vision for Washington State Budget

The Progress Index report provides high-quality data and analysis of the state budget as well as a values-driven framework for the conversation about where we are, where we want to be, and how we can get there. Now that Washington State’s economy has taken a turn for the worse the Progress Index is even more relevant to moving our state forward.