Washington Research Council

We're pleased to welcome David Matsuda, a national transportation expert who recently served as U.S. Maritime Administrator, where he managed more than $1 billion of federal investment into U.S. ports, shipyards and shipbuilding projects. Mr. Matsuda was in Seattle Nov. 19 to discuss a policy review he's conducting on competitiveness challenges facing Washington's maritime trade sector.

Continuing our in-depth look at K-12 education funding and the McCleary decision, today we're talking to state Rep. Kristine Lytton, D-Anacortes, chairwoman of the House Finance Committee and member of the governor's legislative McCleary workgroup.

This week we're talking next steps after passage of Initiative 1366, the latest state revenue collections report, and Rob McKenna's defense of the Common Core education standards.

We were thrilled and honored to have former Washington Governor Daniel J. Evans on the Common Ground edition of our Policy Today podcast this week. It's hard to find enough superlatives to describe Gov. Evans, who's also a former U.S. Senator and state legislator. Ross Anderson called him "quite simply, the best governor in Washington’s history." A man of principal, pragmatism and integrity, he's also an incredibly nice guy who's as enthusiastic about public service as ever.

In this episode we discuss new requests for the state Supreme Court to reconsider its charter-school ruling, the preliminary state economic forecast for November, and the governor's establishment of a Biotech and Life Sciences Advisory Council.

Our guest this week is 5th District Rep. Chad Magendanz, R-Issaquah, and our topic is education: the McCleary decision, K-12 funding, and charter schools. Rep. Magendanz discusses the Legislature's continuing work to achieve full state funding for basic education, his thoughts on possible funding options, and, briefly, how some lawmakers will respond this session to the Supreme Court's recent ruling that charter schools are unconstitutional.

On tap for today: The state Department of Transportation is out with its "Corridor Capacity Report," organic farming in Washington ranks high nationwide, possible resurrection of the Export-Import Bank, and Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant is out with another rent-control proposal - this time for commercial property.

This week it's the three of us (Lew, Randi and Mary) opining on the way-too-long presidential campaign and the political climate in general. Plus Randi tells a fun story about Orrin Hatch, Teddy Kennedy and his Portuguese Water Dogs.

In this episode we're discussing a charter-school contretemps in Los Angeles, the latest state revenue and employment reports, and the value of Washington agriculture.

A new Opportunity study - measuring how states perform on education, economic vitality and transportation - ranks Washington right in the middle. We've definitely got room for improvement. In this episode, we gather Kris Johnson of the Association of Washington Business, Steve Mullin of the Washington Roundtable, and our own Lew Moore of the Washington Research Council, to discuss the rankings and how to make Washington better.

This week we're discussing Washington state's move to third-highest minimum wage in the country after a long reign as first; marijuana revenue numbers throughout the state; potential impacts of Gov. Inslee's new carbon-cap rule; and questions about the effectiveness of recycling.

This week we're discussing the Attorney General's request that the state Supreme Court reconsider its ruling that charter schools are unconstitutional, the number of construction jobs staying essentially flat statewide, and a federal grant for Washington to study the feasibility of paid family leave implementation.

It may be hard to believe, but elements of Washington's tax system are mighty attractive to other states. In Oregon, some are calling for a sales tax to bring more stability to the tax system there. In Nevada, the governor and legislature approved a package of new taxes, including a gross receipts tax similar to Washington's Business & Occupation (B&O) tax.

It's a real smorgasbord on this week's episode, as we discuss a Seattle City Council committee's attempt to resurrect rent control as a viable option, the economic impact of Washington's wine industry, the latest state revenue forecast and employment report, and research on charter school performance from Stanford University.

Our guest, state Rep. Drew Hansen (D-Bainbridge Island), has done a lot of bipartisan work to expand educational opportunities and prepare students for the workforce. In this episode we discuss computer science education, pathways to good-paying jobs, and more.

Extensive research from Stanford University shows charter schools are of particular benefit to low-income, minority and English-Language-Learner students. But the state Supreme Court's controversial ruling that charter schools are unconstitutional throws their future into doubt.

Initiative 1366, the latest from Tim Eyman, would make the state Legislature put a constitutional amendment on the ballot requiring two-thirds legislative approval, or voter approval, for tax increases. If the Legislature doesn't put the proposed amendment on the ballot, the state sales tax would be cut by one percent, reducing revenues $1.6 billion in this biennium alone.

Today we're joined by state Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, who has spearheaded a number of successful bills to make state agencies more efficient and customer-friendly in the way they regulate and issue permits to business owners.

We're covering the recent NLRB ruling that modifies the definition of what an employer is, turmoil in the stock market, and The Tax Foundation and KPMG's comprehensive analysis of business costs in all 50 states.

Today we explore the status of Boeing's 777X plane project. New cutting-edge equipment for the plane's composite wings is moving into place and orders are being placed.