Articles written by Jason Mercier
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Which city will be next?
The Battle Ground City Council this week unanimously adopted Resolution No. 21-07 opposing a local income tax. That brings the number of cities officially going on record against a... — Updated 7/29/2021
Thank goodness for access to remote testimony during legislative session
Washington Policy Center and the League of Women Voters of Washington want to thank the Washington State House and Senate’s bipartisan leadership for the remote testimony processes they established in the challenging legislative... — Updated 6/24/2021
Inslee issues questionable line-item vetoes, again
We knew it was coming. The moment lawmakers tried to get clever and thought they could gain support for a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (House Bill 1091) and Cap and Trade (Senate Bill 5... — Updated 5/26/2021
Governor issues questionable line-item vetoes, again
We knew it was coming. The moment lawmakers tried to get clever and thought they could gain support for a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (House Bill 1091) and Cap and Trade (Senate Bill 5... — Updated 5/20/2021
Lawmakers wanted an income tax lawsuit – they'll get two
Public records show lawmakers plan to use the capital gains income tax to set up a lawsuit to try to impose a broad-based graduated income tax. They’re going to get not one, but... — Updated 5/6/2021
Still time for lawmakers to act on emergency powers reform
We are now more than halfway thru the 2021 Legislative Session and have passed the important House of Origin cutoff. This is technically when bills start to die. Among the bills... — Updated 3/18/2021
Restoring trust in state government in 2021
It has been 286 days since Governor Inslee first declared a statewide emergency relating to COVID-19. Since that time, the Governor has continued to extend emergency declarations... — Updated 1/14/2021
Inslee's proposal is an income tax
Despite the budget being balanced, billions in reserve, and projected revenue growth of 7.2%, Gov. Jay Inslee is yet again proposing an income tax on capital gains in his new... — Updated 12/31/2020
Could Zoom mean a Legislature that listens
There’s no other way to say it, 2020, has been just an awful year. It is difficult to believe anything good can come from this mess but I’m really excited to see that one silver... — Updated 12/4/2020
Robust remote testimony to look forward to in 2021
There’s no other way to say, 2020 has been just an awful year. It is difficult to believe anything good can come from this mess but I’m really excited to see that one silver... — Updated 11/19/2020
No good reason why a government shutdown should occur, even in a deficit
DURING the last two state budget cycles, Washington lawmakers have come dangerously close to forcing a government shutdown due to failures in the budget process. The current... — Updated 10/30/2020
National vote-by-mail standards needed to avoid election confusion
I’ve lived in two exclusive vote-by-mail states during my time as an eligible voter. My first ballot ever cast was via the mailbox in Oregon. There the ballots are due in the hand... — Updated 10/22/2020
Budget outlook takes another hit with Boeing's 787 announcement
It is official. Boeing will consolidate its 787 manufacturing in South Carolina. This news has many implications for the state including a direct impact on the state’s budget... — Updated 10/8/2020
State revenues continue to grow overall
First the good news. Unlike during the great recession, state revenue is still increasing overall during the COVID pandemic. According to the September revenue forecast:... — Updated 10/5/2020
More calls for a special session
Voices across the state continue to ask the Governor to call a special session to allow lawmakers to balance the budget and address COVID-19 related policies. A special session... — Updated 9/15/2020
Support a legislative special session?
California lawmakers addressed their COVID budget situation back in June. Oregon lawmakers are meeting this week in a special session to do the same. According to the National... — Updated 8/18/2020
Washington has too many statewide elected officials
Hopefully you’ve already voted or are soon heading to ballot drop box. Now let’s work to reduce the number of statewide elected offices. At present the people of Washington... — Updated 8/12/2020
Governor's power subject to check?
Gov. Jay Inslee continues to extended the state of emergency related to the COVID pandemic and is re-issuing his prior coronavirus emergency orders. I initially believed that under... — Updated 7/20/2020
Will Washington really punt budget action until January?
What once seemed inevitable is now growing unlikely – a special session to balance the state’s budget. This is why it was so important to act before the new spending increases... — Updated 7/13/2020
State may push income tax, again
TVW recently interviewed the top budget writers in the Senate about the state’s outlook and the possibility of a special session. In one interview, Sen. John Braun (ranking... — Updated 5/28/2020
Guest column
When House Bill 1888 was proposed this year to help protect state employee unions from an ongoing battle with the Freedom Foundation, the media was strong in opposition against... — Updated 2/25/2020
