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Ballot Initiatives
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Oct. 21, 2011
You never would have thought it when the campaign started, but Tim Eyman's I-1125 is proving the shocker of the year. And the big dogs are scrambling to put it down. When was the last time you saw Boeing and the Machinists agree on anythi
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 19, 2011
A plan to privatize Washington’s liquor distribution system will make headlines just before the election, and some folks smell a rat.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 18, 2011
In just 21 days, backers of Initiative 1183 must collect more than 300,000 signatures, the fastest qualifying effort ever seen in this state.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 20, 2010
Open mouth, insert foot -- Bill Gates, Sr., the leading spokesman for the state's income tax ballot measure, appears to undercut one of the campaign's biggest arguments.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 15, 2010
If the Department of Labor and Industries can't say something nice, it won't say anything at all. With a workers' comp initiative on the ballot and a whopping rate increase all but certain, it has decided to delay its 2011 rate announcem...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 15, 2010
It's Claudia McKinney, all right. But the most interesting thing about the investigation is that it reveals SEIU paid members to circulate petitions.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 9, 2010
It's the question everyone forgot to ask -- how does I-1098's high-earner tax affect agriculture? Time for farmers to be very, very scared, foes say.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 8, 2010
In a decision that could change campaign strategies for this year's initiatives, a federal judge has ruled that the state's limits on last-minute contributions are unconstitutional. It's another victory for Attorney James Bopp, Jr., and i...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 2, 2010
The world seldom gasps when the Association of Washington Business opposes a tax. But its beef with I-1098 is more nuanced than you might think.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 1, 2010
Looks like thirst has no season. The soda-pop industry continues to pour money into its grocery tax-rollback campaign, Initiative 1107. Latest PDC reports show another $4.2 million for the effort, the biggest-spending single initiative ca...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 31, 2010
The beer biz puts ANOTHER $2 million into the campaign opposing the shutdown of the state liquor stores -- that's $4 million in the last week. And it looks like the distributors are backing away, ever so gingerly, from I-1105, a measure t...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 27, 2010
They all agree -- watch out for the whiplash if I-1098 passes in November. One reason it might not stay a soak-the-rich tax for long.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 26, 2010
It's not that the Department of Commerce is taking sides on I-1098. But it says no income tax is one of the best things the state has going for it.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 25, 2010
The beer biz is going all-in in its effort to defeat a pair of initiatives this year that would close the state liquor stores and allow hard-liquor sales in supermarkets. The $2.5 million that showed up in yesterday's reports shows not on...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 26, 2010
A shadowy 'citizens group' is trying to beat a ban on red-light cameras -- but it appears a faux campaign is battling a real one.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 19, 2010
Bad news seemed imminent next week when actuaries were expected to recommend a whopping rate increase to keep the state workers' compensation fund solvent. Now the Department of Labor and Industries has delayed the announcement for a mont...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 18, 2010
Yes, ANOTHER $3.5 million! That's $7 million the American Beverage Association has put into I-1107 since the beginning of the month. And it shows that where this year's initiative campaigns are concerned, I-1107 has the taste that beats t...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 17, 2010
The Washington Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association has raised nearly $1 million to fight I-1100 and I-1105, this year's two liquor-store privatization initiatives. They're teaming up with the unions and getting set to battle big retaile...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 13, 2010
Astounding spending in the campaign for Initiative 1107 makes it the ballot measure to watch this year. Will there be a ripple effect for this year's other anti-tax campaigns?
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 13, 2010
The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the largest regional business organization in the state, has weighed in against I-1098, the high-earner income tax initiative on this fall's ballot. Battle lines are being drawn, and endorsements s...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 10, 2010
For the first time in history, business groups worry there won't be a rate hike -- hanky-panky may be afoot on election eve, they say.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 6, 2010
Bill Gates, Sr. is putting his money where his mouth is. The leading proponent of I-1098 has put a half-million dollars of his own money into the campaign. That makes him the biggest financial backer of the measure, heading a long list of ...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 6, 2010
Washington State Wire digs into public records, talks to a witness and names the SEIU official under investigation for signature fraud.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 5, 2010
A new survey by Raleigh, N.C.-based Public Policy Polling shows I-1098 is a dead-even tie at 41-41. Could it reflect a trend? Meanwhile, Sen. Patty Murray is slightly ahead of Republican Dino Rossi, but remains below 50 percent -- a danger...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 3, 2010
Patty Murray's campaign locks down $2 million in TV advertising, months before the election, and I-1107 follows suit -- it's gonna get expensive!
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 28, 2010
A month's worth of checking is over and state elections officials have sent the last of this year's six initiatives to the November ballot. I-1107 was notable. The distributors' tax rollback measure may have been the fastest signature dri...
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A broad business coalition supports the two-thirds vote for taxes -- but oil money and Tim Eyman give opponents an easy target.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 26, 2010
State officials say both liquor-store initiatives will appear on this fall's ballot, and that gives people four whole months to wonder what will happen if voters cast a double yes vote. Certainly the liquor stores go away. But what about ...
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By Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 19, 2010
It's baaaaaaaaack! The two-thirds vote requirement for tax increases that lawmakers scuttled this year will go before voters again this fall, state officials say. I-1053 will come just in time for lawmakers to deal with another enormous $3...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 19, 2010
A public records act request by Washington State Wire confirms at least part of the story that has been making the rounds since the allegation became public last week. The signature gatherer under investigation by state authorities is a m...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 15, 2010
Never mind the fraud charges -- state officials say I-1098 has more than enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Meanwhile, SEIU pledges to cooperate fully with the investigation, and vows to punish any member shown to have committed...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 15, 2010
Same pen! Same handwriting! Wrong addresses and signatures that don't match the records! State officials say their random check of signatures for I-1098 has turned up some mighty suspicious petitions, and they have launched a formal inves...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 14, 2010
One after another, state elections officials are certifying the six initiatives that turned in signatures this year. The latest is the workers' compensation initiative backed by the Building Industry Association of Washington.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 12, 2010
Initiative 1100, the Costco-backed measure to privatize the state liquor stores, has survived the state's signature check and is certified for the ballot. Five more to go!
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 7, 2010
This year's liquor initiatives are really part of a big, brawling business battle for control of alcohol sales -- and Washington is ground zero.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 6, 2010
Liquor distributors ponied up a half-million bucks in the final week, for a total $2 million so far for their late-starting campaign. Meanwhile, labor interests and trial lawyers are amassing a big campaign fund to oppose a workers' comp i...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 2, 2010
All six of this year's well-financed initiative campaigns finished in the money, turning in more than 300,000 signatures by deadline day.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 1, 2010
Initiative 1098 presents more than enough signatures Thursday and will give the left a cause on a ballot crowded with business issues.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 2, 2010
The season's fastest and most expensive campaign may have set records -- it all happened in three weeks' time. Pop distributors say they're furious with a last-minute tax hike imposed by the Legislature.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 2, 2010
Unlike previous tax revolts, this one's had business behind it almost from the start -- with a $3 billion shortfall coming, it all makes sense. I-1053 would make it all but impossible to raise taxes.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 30, 2010
Initiative 1068, the marijuana-legalization measure, sets an appointment to turn in signatures for 4:20 p.m. Friday. If you don't get the joke -- well, that's very sweet. Actually it's down-to-the-wire for the year's only all-volunteer ca...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 25, 2010
Washington Roundtable takes the lead in organizing the opposition to I-1098 and the campaign debuts with $287,500 in its war-chest. The high-earner tax would hit hard at entrepreneurs and drive a stake through Washington's high-tech indus...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 23, 2010
Initiative 1100, a liquor-store privatization measure, should easily qualify for the fall ballot after dropping off nearly 400,000 signatures at the state elections office Wednesday. Meanwhile, liquor distributors are mounting a frantic s...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 24, 2010
Everyone wrote off I-1068 when the big donors chickened out. But many paid signature gatherers are carrying it for free -- pot gets people hooked.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 23, 2010
UPDATED 5 p.m. June 23 -- A liquor-store privatization campaign turns in more than enough signatures to make the ballot, a worker-comp initiative says it already has enough to qualify, and five other campaigns are in a scramble to the fin...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 14, 2010
Signature-gathering tables vanish from Costco stores. Could it mean that one of this year's big liquor-store privatization initiatives has already hit its 300,000-signature goal? The campaign is keeping mum, but it seems a safe bet. New P...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 11, 2010
The Washington Beverage Association is saddled with a vague ballot title and now must set records for signature gathering on I-1107. During a court hearing, the attorney general's office says the authors have only themselves to blame. Did...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 9, 2010
A judge changes two words in a ballot summary and I-1105 is off to the printers. The court challenge delays liquor distributors a week and forces them to set an all-time record for signature gathering. But hey --every word needs to be exac...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 10, 2010
Just as I-1107 gets set to come roaring out of the starting gate -- maybe the latest-starting initiative campaign ever -- labor groups and the poverty lobby are mulling a decline-to-sign campaign. The measure would roll back about $100 mi...
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 10, 2010
How come so many people think an income tax would be more stable? A new report says I-1098 would give the state stool a mighty wobbly leg.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 8, 2010
Beware of frenzied signature gatherers these next three weeks! Liquor and soda-pop distributors are set to launch a pair of initiative campaigns, and their latest campaign reports show they've got plenty of money to back them up.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 3, 2010
A crush of initiatives and court tactics on a liquor store measure mean ballot measure campaigns will be trying to set records this month.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 1, 2010
Retailers and wholesalers want to junk the state's liquor stores, but they might shoot each other to do it -- a tale of two initiatives.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 25, 2010
McKenna finds a flaw in I-1098 -- Backers are trying to have it two ways, he says. And that means a big tax increase for Washington.
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| By: Association of Washington Business |
AWB Gives Early Endorsement to I-1053 -- Would Restore I-960, Overturned by Legislature This Year
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| By: Washington State Farm Bureau |
Joins BIAW on I-1082, Which Would Allow Private Competition for Worker's Comp Business
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 28, 2010
Fresh from Supreme Court argument over R-71 signature disclosure case, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna predicts victory.
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By Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 27, 2010
SEIU was planning to go to the voters again with another home-care initiative -- but when the Legislature let a controversial training program become law, the union said never mind.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 23, 2010
A tax break goes flat, bottlers pop their tops, and the governor signs the bill anyway. Will history repeat itself?
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 19, 2010
Confounds Dem critics who accused him last month of pandering -- upcoming Supreme Court argument puts attorney general on other side.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 15, 2010
BIAW finally launches the workers' compensation campaign it has been threatening all year -- and all-out war between business and labor is guaranteed.
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I-1082 Would Allow Private Competition With State System
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 5, 2010
$6.5 million appropriation makes no sense during the state's budget crisis, opponents say -- and it enacts an initiative they call dangerous.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 25, 2010
The governor's decision to sign came as a surprise to no one. Without the bill, Democrats couldn't raise taxes this year -- and they say they must. But why was initiative sponsor Tim Eyman hovering over her shoulder?
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 15, 2010
While hundreds watch, House panel OK's bill eliminating tough rules for tax hikes, but in a surprise move restores public-notice requirements.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 13, 2010
No one can remember a debate like the one that took place Friday -- and it wasn't even the main event. Get set for a wild parliamentary ride!
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 11, 2010
Senate Democrats hate Initiative 960 so much, they voted to kill it twice. House passage is a formality, and now it's full steam ahead for tax hikes.
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Overturning I-960 is the first step toward what appears to be an inevitable tax increase -- 'You're stepping on us,' activists complain.
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It's the first move in this year's budget debate -- a suspension of the strict rules imposed by Initiative 960. The game is afoot!
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 4, 2012
A decision by a Democratic chairwoman to kill a pair of high-profile education bills has triggered an all-but-unheard-of standoff in a Senate committee and a backroom blowup among the Senate Democrats. And it demonstrates this year, as last, that the moderate Roadkill Dems hold all the cards.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 3, 2012
Gov. Christine Gregoire’s proposal for a $1.50 tax on oil-by-the-barrel to pay for road construction and environmental projects is looking like it has a dead battery, as three key senators say the governor’s plan just isn’t clicking. Meanwhile, a pair of influential House lawmakers have introduced a constitutional amendment that would block the green lobby's efforts to tax "Big Oil" once and for all.
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By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 3, 2012
House Republicans show what they mean when they say "Fund Education First," unveilling a partial budget plan that deals only with K-12 education. Everything else can come later. Democrats say it's no way to write a budget.
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By: Jim Boldt | Washington State Wire | 01.31.12
Newt is not going to quit. He is going to continue to try and hold his cool, not go off on someone or about some issue. He is as smart as any one of them, continues to talk of solid experienced realignment of our government...
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By: Jim Boldt | Washington State Wire | 01.26.12
Do we have to continue to talk about what's going on in the real world, the demands being placed on future generations of students, the drag on success created by 20th century education unions, the desire of most educators to do the right thing, and the current lack of courage by Washington's elected to step up?
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By: Jim Boldt | Washington State Wire | 1.19.12
SB 6369 simple states that where there are “gaps” in the evidence don't worry about it, just go ahead with the plan. In a world of DOE staff looking for every opportunity to prove their worth to certain constituencies this is a free pass.
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By: Jim Boldt | Washington State Wire | 1.18.12
Next, do we need a bill to modernize a statute? Probably, because...you guessed it, modern words for modern technology. Excuse the word functionality. The drafters and advocates must think that the state EPA actually works, you know, functions.
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Editorial: Use Gavels to Doom Promising Legislation on Charter Schools and Teacher Evaluations
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Gregoire Drops By Brown's Office for Frank and Open Exchange of Views
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| By: Jerry Cornfield/ The (Everett) Herald |
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After Chairwoman McAuliffe Blocks Vote, Blames Committee Members For Balking on Everything Else
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Measure Will Close Liquor Stores June 1
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Former Lawmaker Running for Thurston County Superior Court Vacancy
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Editorial: What a Proud Moment!
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Would Allow Public Agencies to Challenge Burdensome Requests -- Pam Roach May Cast Deciding Vote
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National Organization for Marriage Gets Set to Run Repeal Referendum
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Measly $200K Given From Washington State -- PACs Are Reshaping Presidential Politics
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| By: Jim Brunner/ Seattle Times |
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| By: Jim Camden/ Spokesman-Review |
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Steve Forbes and Rob McKenna write, "What does it mean for you? You will pay more – not less, as promised – for your health care coverage."
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A bill working its way through the Legislature has triggered something of a bizarro world in Olympia, with liberals lambasting a government takeover of health care and two of the state's most powerful unions fighting each other.
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Washington State is ranked last in the nation for having the fewest psychiatric beds for patients.
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Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco argue that sugar is toxic and needs to be taxed and controlled.
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About 47,000 Medicaid patients in Clark County are about to be thrust into turmoil -- as will the health care plan that has served them for 18 years -- if the state Health Care Authority has its way.
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A federal judge is expected to rule this month whether Washington state can require pharmacies to sell the Plan B contraceptive, even if the druggists object on religious grounds.
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Whereas inadequate medical care accounts for 10% of premature deaths in the United States, behavioral patterns, social circumstances, and environmental exposures have a far greater effect, accounting for roughly 60% of deaths.
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| By: New England Journal of Medicine |
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A report released today by the actuarial firm Milliman Inc. said the new tax in 2014 will cost the Medicaid program between $36.5 billion and $41.9 billion over 10 years. At least $13 billion will be borne by states.
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"Open enrollment has to be ready to go by Oct. 1, 2013, so in January of 2013 we have to submit our products and rates for [state] approval," said Alissa Fox, senior vice president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
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