Blog
First a paint tax, now a battery tax
Gov. Kelly Ayotte on Monday vetoed House Bill 451, which would have established a statewide paint recycling program funded by an “assessment” on paint. Merriam-Webster notes that for more than 500 years the word “assessment”…
Manchester Transit Authority spending surged as ridership fell over the last dozen years
The Manchester Transit Authority (MTA) has dramatically expanded its bus routes and coverage area over the last dozen years, pushing operating costs higher. Yet as costs and coverage soared, ridership sank. As the mayor and…
Ideas for Cleaning Up New York Medicaid
As the Trump administration cracks down on fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid, New York is a logical place to start. New York spends far more per capita on the safety-net health plan than any other state, and its enrollment…
Attacking Democracy in the Name of Democracy
A healthy democracy produces good policy in the midst of tension, meaningful debate, and bipartisan compromise. That has all but evaporated in Olympia, as the scale has tipped so far in one direction that the guardrails that…
Washington Passed an Income Tax to Fund Education. Then the Same Majority Cut Education — and Left $700+ Million on the Table.
Washington’s legislative majority accomplished two mutually exclusive fiscal maneuvers in a span of about 24 hours. On March 11, they passed the long-opposed, unpopular state income tax to “fully fund” education. The very…
Hiring someone to jobs around the house? Legal advice from DWT
I appreciated this information about Washington state's new domestic workers' law from Davis Wright Tremaine (DWT), a business law firm. It details what households should know and need to do when House Bill 2355 is…
Montana Schools Say They Need $100 Million More. The Full Story Is Complicated
"But is the level of facility funding really the problem for our school districts? There’s at least some evidence to say: not exactly." The following has been adapted from an excerpt of the Frontier Weekly…
House and Senate Send Supplemental Budget to Governor
The legislature passed its agreement on the 2026 supplemental operating budget and adjourned yesterday. The budget now sits on Governor Ferguson's desk, where he can sign it, veto sections, or veto it entirely. I broke…
Legislature Agrees to Increased Spending in Supplemental Budget
The legislature passed its agreement on the 2026 supplemental operating budget and adjourned yesterday. The budget now sits on Governor Ferguson's desk, where he can sign it, veto sections, or veto it entirely. I broke…
How to Start a Business in Washington
As Director of the Center for Small Business, I've heard from countless entrepreneurs about the challenges of navigating Washington's complex regulations. High taxes, licensing hurdles, and layered local rules make…
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