Press Room
Media contact:
Tara Lee, Communications Director
(206) 851-4452 - cell
Email: taraL (at) budgetandpolicy.org
2013
"Back to the Budget Battle in Olympia." Executive Director Remy Trupin is interviewed about the special legislative session. (May 13th, 2013)
"Tax Swap: Would a sales tax be better than OR’s high income tax?" State Policy Fellow Michael Mitchell is quoted. (April 18th, 2013)
"On Beer and Dancing, Seattle Bares Its Tim Eyman Teeth." Our Senior Fiscal Analyst Andy Nicholas is quoted, "What that reflects is that we have a pretty outdated tax system that doesn’t reflect the modern economy,” he says. “We don’t have a good source of revenue to go to. We don’t have it in this state. That means we need to go to these narrow excise taxes . . . and none of those are popular ways to raise revenues. " (April 17th, 2013)
"Capitol Newsmaker, Week 12: Education Funding." Our Executive Director Remy Trupin is quoted when talking about fully funding basic education. (April 5th, 2013)
"State Senate Republicans Release Budget..." Our statement on the Senate budget proposal is highlighted. (April 3rd, 2013)
"Expand early learning by fixing the state's Working Connections Child Care program." Rep. Farrell cites our analysis the number of child care providers that have closed their doors in the last five years. (March 25th, 2013)
"Washington State is a National Leader! (In Tuition Hikes)." Includes our graph on tuition increases higher than national average. ( March 19th, 2013)
Laird column: "Evergreen State out of balance" ..." Of course, as the Washington State Budget & Policy Center reports, "most state tax systems take a larger bite out of lower- and middle-income family budgets than those of high-income households." However, "the gap remains larger in Washington state than any other state." (March 10th, 2013)
Op-ed: "Funding Education in Washington State Requires More Taxes." Executive Director Remy Trupin lays out a case for funding education. " From the time children enter the classroom to when they join the workforce, investments beyond McCleary’s requirements are a must. And that will take more financial resources than the state has now. The state will need to raise taxes, close tax breaks and extend current taxes." (March 4, 2013)
"Super-majority tax law struck down in Washington state." "The ruling came as the state faces court-imposed mandates to fully fund basic K-12 public education, with a total of $4.5 billion needed by 2019, beginning with $1.4 billion from 2013 to 2015, according to the Washington State Budget & Policy Center." (February 28th, 2013)
"Win one for Working Families. And Facts." Policy Analyst Kim Justice is quoted on the Working Families Tax Rebate. (February 27th, 2013)
"Bipartisanship at Last. At Least for Tax Breaks." "...the Washington State Budget & Policy Center have (reliably) quantified all the tax breaks that legislators are proposing this session." (February 26, 2013)
"Lawmakers are about $1B apart on education reform." Includes our analysis on the McCleary v. State decision. (February 12th, 2013)
"Washington’s two-thirds ‘supermajority’ tax law debated in committee." Our Executive Director Remy Trupin's testimony against the 2/3rds supermajority is included. (February 11th, 2013)
"...hard ball on 1185." Our Executive Director Remy Trupin's statement and testimony against the 2/3rds supermajority is included. (February 11th, 2013)
"McCleary in Theory." Includes analysis from our latest policy brief on the McCleary decision and a quote from our Communications Director Tara Lee. (February 8th, 2011)
"Report: State Needs New Revenue to Backfill $2.3 Billion Shortfall." Includes a graph from our new policy brief on the McCleary decision, as well as an interview with Policy Analysts Kim Justice and Michael Mitchell. (February 6, 2013)
"Washington State Ranked the Most Regressive in the Country." (January 31st, 2013)
"Report: Washington still has least-fair tax system in country; hits the poor six times harder than the wealthy." Includes our statement on the report, as well our policy proposals. (January 30th, 2013)
"Legislature could fight over health care for more people." "Expansion of Medicaid could provide health care coverage for up to 340,000 and, by estimates of the liberal Washington State Budget & Policy Center, the state itself could net some $200 million in savings in the first two years because of other costs that will be picked up by the federal government." (January 15th, 2013)
"Lawmakers must accept Medicaid expansion." Our analysis is cited, "First, it will save the state millions of dollars. The Washington State Budget & Policy Center estimates the savings at $225 million over the next biennium." (January 13, 2013)
2012
"Gregoire on budget: More revenue or deeper recession." Includes our full statement on the Governor's budget. (December 18th, 2012)
"Governor Gregoire's Final Budget Proposes Funding Education." Our statement on the Governor's budget is featured. (December 18th, 2012)
"State Fare Poorly With Corporate Welfare." Our analysis on tax breaks is included. (December 16th, 2012)
The Olympian and Tacoma News Tribune
"State needs revenue structure for 21st century." Our Executive Director Remy Trupin argues that we cannot give our children the kind of education they need to grow and prosper without more resources for our schools. (December 7th, 2012)
KKNW (radio)
Senior Policy Analyst Lori Pfingst discusses her recent policy brief, "Pathway to Prosperity." (December 6th, 2012)
"Gregoire says she wants to see college tuition actually cut- eventually." "The Washington State Budget and Policy Center argued in one recent policy brief that the state share of four-year education costs has fallen to 35 percent, but should be more than 50 percent. The center also warned that cuts to higher education were dimming the state’s economic prospects." (December 4th, 2012)
"Reality Lost in State's Taxing Discussion." Shawn Vestal's column includes research from our recent policy brief on prosperity, as well as some of recommendations. (November 24th, 2012)
Editorial: "Medicaid expansion right course for state." Using our research and analysis, the editorial board came out in favor of the Medicaid expansion. (November 20th, 2012)
"Red-faced Rove, red-leaning counties, and rising boats. John Laird's column includes our report on income inequality. (November 18th, 2012)
"Wylie talks revenue with local crowd." B & PC staff participated in a community forum on revenue in Vancouver, Wa. (November 15th, 2012)
"UW Students Want Legislature to Raise Revenue." Our capital gains proposal is featured. (November 12th, 2012)
KIT (radio)
Senior Fiscal Analyst Andy Nicholas discusses the impact of I-1185. (November 2nd, 2012)
"Inslee scales back expected savings from a centerpiece of his platform." Our analysis on the cost savings from Medicaid expansion is cited. (October 29th, 2012)
"Two-year college tuition may be scaring students away." Our analysis on cuts to higher education is cited. (October 24th, 2012)
"On Other Blogs Today." Includes our chart on the impact of Initiative 502. (October 11th, 2012)
"Study: Pot Arrests in WA Outpacing Population Growth." Our analysis and chart on Initiative 502 are featured. (October 11th, 2012)
"College students paying more, earning less over their lifetimes." State Policy Fellow Mike Mitchell was interviewed on-air about his analysis on the impact of cuts to higher education. (October 9th, 2012)
Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal
"State Should Move Forward with Basic Health Plan." Policy Analyst Kim Justice lays out the case for the federal Basic Health Plan. (October 1st, 2012)
Op-ed: "Supermajority Restrictions Make it Harder for State To Handle Crises." Our editorial on the impact of the 2/3rds requirement necessary to raise revenue. (September 28th, 2012)
"Inslee and McKenna Propose Tax Breaks." Our Executive Director Remy Trupin is interviewed and quoted. (September 18th, 2012)
"On Other Blogs Today: Charters, Health Insurance, State Auditor Smackdown, and More." Includes our chart on health insurance data and a link to our analysis. (September 12th, 2012)
"A Credible Plan for Amply Funding Public Schools." Recommends using our proposal, a five percent excise tax on capital gains. (September 7th, 2012)
"Think Tank: Eyman's Tax Vote Law Kills Jobs." Includes our analysis and quotes from our staff. (August 23rd, 2012)
"Unbalanced Budgeting: New Report Says Initiative 1185 Would Slash Jobs and Hinder Economic Recovery ." A look at our analysis and a chart from our latest policy brief. (August 23rd, 2012)
"Property tax exemptions: Costs and benefits." Policy Analyst Andy Nicholas is quoted. (June 25th, 2012)
Seattle Times (Associated Press)
"State Budget Realities May Challenge McKenna, Inslee." Our Executive Director Remy Trupin is interviewed and quoted. (June 24th, 2012)
Executive Director Remy Trupin discusses the latest revenue forecast, state spending, and the long-term budget outlook. (June 21st, 2012)
Policy Analyst Andy Nicholas discusses the economic impact of I-1053. The segment starts at minute 50:02. (May 30th, 2012)
"What Tim Eyman's 2/3 Majority Requirement Has Wrought." We are quoted around the impact of I-1053 on the economy. (May 30th, 2012)
"What Do Women Want?" A summary of our community forum on the impact of the recession on women and our economy. (May 16th, 2012)
"Gregoire's Tax Support Comes Late." Includes our analysis on the ratio of budget cuts to new revenue. (May 11, 2012)
"Candidates for Governor Targeting Tax Breaks." We are quoted on the value of including expiration dates for tax breaks. (May 7, 2012)
"The Spending That Isn't Counted." Policy Analyst Andy Nicholas is interviewed and quoted. (April 25th, 2012)
"Disability Lifeline Saves More Money Than It Costs." Our analysis and chart on the proposal to cut Disability Lifeline is the basis for the article. (March 22nd, 2012)
"Who's Framing the Debate Now?" Includes our analysis that shows how a proposal to skip a pension payment would increase costs in the long-run. (March 13, 2012)
"This Week in Poverty: Welfare Reform -From Bad to Worse." Kim Justice is interviewed and quoted. "Policymakers are trying to balance the state budget by taking money directly from low-income families...This is no way to balance a budget in tough times.” (March 9th, 2012)
"An 'Out of Balance' Republican Budget." Our recent posts on the Senate budget are highlighted, where we "lead an all-out wonk assault." (March 6th, 2012)
Editorial: "Capital Gains Tax Could Help State Budget Problems." Based on our proposal, the Olympian editorial board finds that, "The state of Washington could benefit on several fronts from a tax on capital gains." (March 4th, 2012)
"Think Tank: Capital Gains Tax mostly hits millionaires." Our staff discussed a capital gains tax with members of the Olympian editorial board. (February 29, 2012)
"Budget cuts hit women and kids hardest." Our analysis is cited, "...reports that more than 90 percent of the $10 billion cut from state spending in recent years has come from education, and health and social services—where women represent nearly three-quarters of the workforce." (February 29, 2012)
"The flexibility at the local level." One of our top 10 capital gains charts is highlighted. (February 29, 2012)
Column: "John Laird: Dallas rip-offs, Gregoire’s plans and a February flop." Our analysis is on cuts to healthcare is cited. (February 26, 2012)
Spokesman ReviewColumn: "Mothers, children hurt the most from budget cuts." Senior Policy Analyst Lori Pfingst is interviewed about our report on the impact of the recession on women and the economy. (February 25, 2012)
"The $340 million state budget windfall is a mixed blessing." Policy Analyst Kim Justice is interviewed and quoted. (February 15, 2012)
"Urban Poverty Forum considered a different kind of winning and losing." Senior Policy Analyst Lori Pfingst talks about children living in poverty. (February 8th, 2012)
"New report: women bear the brunt of budget cuts." Our new report on the impact of the recession on women and on our economy is highlighted. (February 9th, 2012)
Editorial: " President Obama should put rising tuition blame on state legislatures." Our analysis on the ratio between higher education tuition and state support is cited. (January 26th, 2012)
Op-Ed: "One way to get off the revenue rollercoaster." Our Executive Director Remy Trupin explains how a five percent tax on capital gains would address some of the long-term structural problems with our revenue system. (January 22nd, 2012)
"Would you support a state capital gains tax?" Our Executive Director Remy Trupin discusses the benefit of a capital gains tax for Washington state. (January 19th, 2012)
"Dems. propose capital gains tax bill in Olympia." Our capital gains proposal and chart on the wealth distribution of capital gains are included. (January 17th, 2012)
"Democrat Jinkins adds capital gains tax to agenda." The proposal is based on our capital gains policy brief. (January 17th, 2012)
"Small-business group backs tax hike." Our policy brief on $10 billion in budget cuts is highlighted. (January 12th, 2012)
"Rep. Jinkins to propose capital gains tax." The proposal is based on our capital gains policy brief. (January 6th, 2012)
Seattle P.I. (Associated Press)
"Definition of state budget cut hard to pin down." Policy Analyst Kim Justice discusses the human impact of budget cuts. (January 2nd, 2012)
