Is Washington’s pension system well-funded and secure, or does the accounting system it uses simply overstate strengths while minimizing weaknesses? According to the state’s actuary, the truth is a combination of both. Matt Smith, appearing on Thursday night in a town hall meeting at the University of Washington, told attendees the state uses a...
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Higher education in Washington state may or may not have a funding problem that’s fixable, but it has a problem with its priorities that can — and should — be fixed immediately. That was the message business and community leaders told the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board at a hearing in Olympia on Thursday...
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Making methamphetamine in Washington state just got a little more difficult thanks to a new, instant, electronic reporting and monitoring system. The Washington State Board of Pharmacy adopted rules for the system that tracks purchases of over-the-counter medications used to make the drug. Retailers and law enforcement are now learning how to use the...
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The Washington State Transportation Commission is conducting a major statewide transportation survey to find out what citizens think about our state’s transportation system and how future needs should be paid for. The findings of the survey will be delivered to the governor and Legislature in the coming weeks, as officials work to identify ways...
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Drivers who crossed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge during the past two months without paying a toll will receive notices of infraction starting this week. Before the notices are issued, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is taking extra steps to manually review them and prevent them from being issued to Good To Go!...
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The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has proposed the lowest workers’ compensation rate increase in five years, a change that L&I Director Judy Schurke attributed to major workers’ compensation reform legislation that the state enacted earlier this year. L&I has proposed a 2.5 percent average increase. The proposed rate increase is an...
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Washington state tax revenues totaled $16 billion during Fiscal Year 2011, a 5.9 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2010 but nearly $1 billion below Fiscal Year 2008 collections, according to an annual report published online by the Department of Revenue on Sept. 23. State taxes peaked at nearly $17 billion in FY2008 below dropping...
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The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will discuss the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) recommended Wolf Conservation and Management Plan during a special meeting Oct. 6 in Olympia. The special meeting will be followed by a two-day meeting Oct 7-8, when the commission will receive briefings on issues including the status of...
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A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle on Friday affirmed a 1980 ruling that the state of Washington’s cigarette excise tax does is legal even when tribal retailers are required to impose it on non-Native American purchasers. The case, Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation v. Christine O. Gregoire et al,...
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A U.S. District Court ruling earlier this year affirming the constitutionality of Washington’s “top-two” primary system threw into question the future of precinct committee officers — a key component in the grassroots organizing efforts of the state’s political parties. Testifying on Friday morning before the state Legislature’s Joint Government Operations, Tribal Relations and Elections...
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