|
Original Stories
Republicans have a shot at winning control of the state Senate -- and even a switch of a few seats could change the Legislature dramatically.
|
|
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 James Bopp, Jr., the conservative attorney who has been picking away at campaign-finance restrictions nationwide. And in the state's biggest-spending year for initiatives ever, that means the enormous contributions can keep right on coming until election day.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 3, 2010
A lawsuit to overturn the results of the Senate race in the 38th Legislative District became a probability Friday. Phil Talmadge is on the case. He gave notice to Attorney General Rob McKenna and the Snohomish County prosecutor that if they don't sue, he will. All because of a phony Republican mailer from the left that did exactly what it was supposed to -- destroy incumbent Sen. Jean Berkey in the primary.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 campaign in state history.
|
|
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 that aims in part to take votes from the free-marketing I-1100.
|
|
Unfortunately, the program does nothing for employers who already offer insurance -- and falls short of goals.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 27, 2010
State Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, knocked out in last week's primary by a phony Republican mailer, has filed a complaint with the state Public Disclosure Commission alleging serious misconduct by the firm responsible. Seattle-based Moxie Media is playing a shell game to conceal the real source of money, she charges -- an enormous independent-expenditure effort backed by the state's labor unions and activist organizations.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 25, 2010
A fake mailer from the left appears to have destroyed state Sen. Jean Berkey in this year's primary election. But we'll never know who paid for it, at least in an official sense. The state's campaign-finance rules won't force full disclosure.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 23, 2010
Public employee unions say they've had enough of concessions after two years of labor unrest -- and they aren't going to budge on health benefits.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 month. Critics say it's a move to avoid nasty headlines while they push an initiative to end the state monopoly on insurance. Certainly not, says the department.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 19, 2010
A picture says a thousand words, and the state Labor Council makes a rather visual point. The House majority leader had a few choice things to say the other day about labor and activist attempts to unseat Democrats this year, and it seems the Labor Council has a rather different opinion. What did it have to say? Click and find out.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 17, 2010
See those storm clouds coming? Infighting among Democrats helps Republicans score big in the primary. Is wind shifting for November?
|
|
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 the others cold.
|
|
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 retailers and liquor distributors. Here's how come.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 15, 2010
Especially if you knew what really happened in Olympia. But that new hit piece against the Everett senator -- that takes the cake!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 16, 2010
Moderates are being "torn to shreds," says Lynn Kessler -- and she hopes to turn this year's Roadkill Caucus movement into a viable political force.
|
|
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 show the political forces working on both sides.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 12, 2010
The official word on this year's initiatives? The income tax will be bigger than anyone imagined, liquor measures will cost plenty.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 wealthy individuals and labor unions that are supporting the campaign.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 mark for any incumbent. And in the first test of the wind for the 2012 governor's race, Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna appears a strong front-runner.
|
|
Who says there's no fat left to cut at the state's largest agency? Washington State Wire presents an insider's view of DSHS.
|
|
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!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 4, 2010
A preliminary vote on a $26 billion Medicaid bill for once offers good news for the state. The U.S. Senate Wednesday morning finally said yes to the measure, which means $480 million for the state of Washington -- and could stave off big cuts. It also means legislative Democrats may be able to avoid a tough decision on whether to hold a special session.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 3, 2010
More dithering in Congress over Medicaid money means more dithering in this Washington about whether to call a special session. If Congress doesn't come through with $480 million in Medicaid money, Democrats still haven't decided whether they'll leave their governor high and dry -- and force her to make across-the-board cuts.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Aug. 3, 2010
A new campaign ad urges the troubled lawmaker to 'get help' -- and leaves Simpson's supporters seething. The GOP ad calls attention to the representative's domestic violence charges, but supporters say the ad has less to do with concern about his mental state than it does with winning an election.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 31, 2010
The governor wants help from the Legislature to deal with an impending budget crisis and demands an answer by noon Monday. And here's a switch! Republicans say they are happy to give a helping hand to the poor governor, but Gregoire's own Democratic party is skittish, for political reasons. That could force cuts that no one will like.
|
|
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 drive in state history, and also was the most expensive this year -- possibly ever. Sounds like it's worth checking.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 29, 2010
The wacky-tobacky budget-balancing plan is the public's favorite idea so far for fixing the state's big revenue problem. At least that's what it's saying on the governor's official website. Will the governor say yes to drugs?
|
|
A broad business coalition supports the two-thirds vote for taxes -- but oil money and Tim Eyman give opponents an easy target.
|
|
By:Washington State Wire | July 26, 2010
No news is bad news. Top economist Arun Raha tells a legislative committee that nothing has happened in the last month or so to improve the forecast he issued in June. And what it means is this. The state is down $207 million so far -- and if Congress welshes on its $480 million Medicaid promise, Washington is in a world of hurt.
|
|
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 the real fight -- the one between retailers and distributors?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 21, 2010
Last year Gov. Gregoire raised eyebrows when she took a failed air-pollution bill and enacted a more limited version herself, in the form of an executive order. A new lawsuit from the Evergreen Freedom Foundation says she didn't have the right. The suit not only challenges the state's greenhouse-gas reduction effort, it also seeks to set a limit on the governor's authority.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 21, 2010
For the second year in a row, state employees will face big increases in medical-insurance costs. But the state is holding the line on copayments and deductibles -- a big issue last year. And the big bugaboo about benefits -- the 88-12 split -- remains in place.
|
|
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 billion shortfall -- and could block tax increases next year.
|
|
While her task force talks about reinventing government, an idea the governor vetoed this year might have actually done something about it.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 19, 2010
Tough luck, Labrador! And let us bid Quebecois shoppers adieu! Five provinces in eastern Canada are losing a Washington-state sales-tax break, at least for now. A judge has blocked a sales tax break that would have applied to every resident of British Columbia, and with it he has nixed longtime sales-tax exemptions for residents of other provinces. Did they even know they had them?
|
|
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 member of SEIU leadership. SEIU is the leading backer of the income-tax measure.
|
|
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 wrong.
|
|
By: The Editors | Washington State Wire | July 16, 2010
Everyone knew a big increase in unemployment insurance rates was coming, but when state officials talked numbers last week, lawmakers gulped.
|
|
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 investigation. Fingers point to a SEIU union organizer.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 14, 2010
The latest campaign-finance reports are in, showing just how big this year's signature drives really were -- and hinting at how big the fall campaigns will be. Finally we can see how business came to the rescue of I-1053. And the campaign war-chests keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. The total raised so far? $10.5 million.
|
|
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.
|
|
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!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 12, 2010
Other states are worse, says the state treasurer. And keep your eye on the half-full glass!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 8, 2010
A special session looms ahead because Congress is welshing on a $480 million promise -- wouldn't it be nice if this one was smoother than the last?
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 23, 2010
The experts have been talking about the idea for years, but a small Washington-state company may have found the winning formula.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 30, 2010
Yes, and those are just Wednesday's numbers! It shows business is spending big on this year's initiative campaigns. But that won't be the end of it -- we're still waiting to see what will happen with I-1053.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 2, 2010
But bad news for the marijuana-legalization initiative -- it looks like that one is a little light.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 30, 2010
Looks like voters will settle an argument that has raged between business and labor for decades -- and so begins one of the year's biggest fights.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | July 1, 2010
The state's strangest legal battle finally begins -- locals say they love British Columbians, but not enough to give them a sales tax break.
|
|
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 campaign, and if it doesn't make it, there's going to be trouble in state politics' leftward flank. Organizers say the American Civil Liberties Union will have blood on its hands.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 28, 2010
Someone has to sue by Wednesday to keep Canadians from getting a sales-tax break -- and the state has to bungle the case in order to win.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 25, 2010
No Obama on the ballot spells trouble for Dems in the upcoming off-year election. But state convention was quite a show -- for those who came.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 27, 2010
For all you stay-at-home Dems out there -- here's what you missed at the state convention in Vancouver over the weekend.
|
|
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 industry, says Roundtable president Steve Mullin. Meanwhile, I-1098 prepares to turn in signatures that will guarantee the high-earner tax a place on the fall ballot.
|
|
Gov. Gregoire pledges an effort to reinvent government. But she says she won't cross labor, and the skeptics say they'll believe it when they see it.
|
|
By: Washington State Wire | June 25, 2010
Even as business and labor prepare to do battle over Initative 1082, a measure that would allow private competition for the state's workers' compensation insurance system, both sides are sitting down for another round of negotiations as part of a panel convened by the governor.
|
|
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 signature drive for a competing measure, kicking in nearly a half-million dollars in recent days.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 finish line. Here's a rundown on the state's biggest signature drives.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 22, 2010
Supporters of Initiative 1100 say they will present 375,000 signatures to state elections officials Wednesday, virtually guaranteeing that the issue will make the ballot this fall.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 21, 2010
Some canvassers say petitions have been pulled. Has the pop-tax rollback really hit the target in record time? Or is it something else? Campaign won't say a word.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 18, 2010
A new poll by Stuart Elway shows I-1098 as a dead-even tie. If you buy the idea that all polls are equal, that means support has plummeted since the initiative was announced two months ago. And a more telling result may be this -- voters say they don't believe everything the proponents are saying.
|
|
By: The Editors | Washington State Wire | June 18, 2010
When is the Legislature going to give L&I the tools it needs to run a modern health care plan?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 17, 2010
Now that's creative legal thinking! To keep B.C. residents paying sales tax in Washington, the Department of Revenue may set itself up for a lawsuit.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 16, 2010
Washington missed a fine legal point until it was too late -- so B.C. residents won't pay sales tax and local governments will lose millions.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 14, 2010
Democrats aren't the only ones who find inspiration in Obama -- state GOP convention comes off without a hitch; tea bag crowd brings life to party.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 14, 2010
The point of a political convention isn't what happens on the floor -- it's what happens everywhere else. Here's how things looked at GOP central.
|
|
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 a political ploy backfire?
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | June 7, 2010
McKenna says the 'armchair quarterbacks' at the University of Washington are dead wrong -- and he calls out Prof. Stewart Jay for special criticism.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 28, 2010
The state has three and a half years to digest the 906-page health care reform bill passed by Congress earlier this year. But don't worry -- some people in state government have actually read it.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 26, 2010
Patty Murray is looking mighty vulnerable, pollster Scott Rasmussen says in Seattle -- and it's going to be a tough year for Democrats.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Washington State Wire | May 21, 2010
What event could have been important enough to draw four governors to the highest point in Seattle?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 20, 2010
It seems almost mind-boggling if you remember what happened before. It's time to ask a question people seldom ask about DSHS -- what went right?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 17, 2010
There's something funny about the state's tribal gas-tax deal -- it's costing taxpayers millions of dollars, but the state didn't need to pay a dime.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 17, 2010
Service station owners are challenging a curious deal the governor struck with state's tribes in 2007 -- a gift worth hundreds of millions, they say.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 12, 2010
Shocker! Spokane Valley's staunch conservative Republican gets the 100-percent gold-star rating from the state Labor Council -- no fooling!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 11, 2010
States are going after drug companies in a big way -- $5 billion in settlements so far. Washington joins the latest case, and it looks like a biggie.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 10, 2010
Bill stipulates wording for the ballot, but it forgets to mention that a tax is involved. And does AWB's lawsuit amount to a declaration of war?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 6, 2010
But it wasn't nearly as big as it sounded -- and embarrassment over a great big budget goof may have helped it pass.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 4, 2010
Means big trouble if Congress doesn't come through. Not only is the state counting on federal money -- it's counting on money that isn't here.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | May 3, 2010
After 14 years, the longest and costliest campaign-violation battle in state history has finally come to an end. Has anything changed?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 29, 2010
How come so many legislators are giving up their seats? An sixth of this year's spots are open -- House Democratic ranks will be decimated.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 27, 2010
It was one of the biggest claims of the session, but officials say the 1983 Legislature was the all-time chartbuster. Better luck next year!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 23, 2010
Can you find the legislator in this picture? 77 Democrats voted for this year's tax package, but only one showed up for the bill-signing. Doesn't anyone want honors?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 23, 2010
Gregoire signs this year's $794 million tax hike -- the real finish to this year's Legislature. Here's a recap of 2010's biggest stories.
|
|
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?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 21, 2010
The state hopes to save millions by switching to generics for the mentally ill -- the trickiest medicines around. Critics warn of misery, violence.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 20, 2010
A recent Supreme Court ruling in a union bargaining case leaves observers aghast -- sometimes, it says, the governor can ignore the law.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 15, 2010
Those tea partiers have the best lines in the protest business. Thousands turned out for Thursday's protest at the state Capitol, and you can see for yourself. A Tax-Day gallery appears inside.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 16, 2010
Cash crunch hits just as business group launches workers' comp initiative -- state borrows to make ends meet.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 14, 2010
Washington State Wire presents the full text of the final debates on budget and taxes, an unfiltered look at the issues that kept lawmakers at the state Capitol for 89 days. One theme that runs through many of the speeches: Spending habits were as much a problem as the recession, lawmakers didn't do much to change them, and if this year was tough, next year will be even worse.
|
|
By Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 14, 2010
Every speech from the Senate floor! Senate passes the state budget -- whether it is a responsible one is a matter of debate.
|
|
By Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 14, 2010
Every speech from the House floor! House passes $30.5 billion budget -- the one that requires all the tax increases.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 13, 2010
The 2010 Legislature barely has a chance to adjourn before initiative promoter Tim Eyman files eight initiatives challenging this year's tax hikes.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 14, 2010
Every speech from the Senate floor! Lawmakers pass the most controversial bill of the session, enacting a $794 million tax package -- what some like to call the biggest tax increase in state history.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 12, 2010
The back-room deals are ready -- now a breathless state waits in suspense while Democrats try to beat the Tuesday deadline and call it a session.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 12, 2010
Democratic speedsters move so fast that the $30.5 billion budget bill is a blur – and the haste may not be a good thing.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 10, 2010
The fight is over, and not even Republicans raise a stink when Democrats bring their tax increase to the floor -- lawmakers plan a quick exit.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 11, 2010
Capital Budget Chair Hans Dunshee isn't giving up on his plan to issue bonds for a massive school reconstruction effort. He's just making it smaller.
|
|
By: Washington State Wire | April 8, 2010
Here's what the Democrats' tax deal looked like -- at least until legislative Democrats took the announcement off their blogsite Thursday morning, hinting that changes might be made. Through the modern miracle of cut-and-paste technology, Washington State Wire captured most of the announcement before it disappeared.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 9, 2010
Democrats still don't have the votes, and the governor is peeved. They better get the job done this weekend, or she says she's not calling them back.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 8, 2010
Dem leaders vanish into the shadows while they count votes on their $801 million tax-hike plan -- letting angry Republicans, opponents do the talking.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 7, 2010
Lisa Brown blinks, and Speaker Frank Chopp wins the argument of the session after the governor steps in. But at least it's a 'go-home' deal.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 5, 2010
Senate Democrats decide beer sounds good right about now -- offer to break deadlock by taxing regular-Joe brew, but would leave yuppie beer alone.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 6, 2010
Shh! Whatever it is, Democratic leaders don't want to say. But it's being hatched behind closed doors -- and you can bet someone's going to be taxed.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 2, 2010
Reluctant House Democrats finally pass the furlough bill by the narrowest of margins, while labor watches -- and nobody issues a press release.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | April 1, 2010
Governor will dramatically expand the state Health Care Authority, give planning authority to Puget Sound Health Alliance, and shuffle top players.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 31, 2010
A single sentence inserted in a budget bill for the Service Employees International Union has reignited an age-old war between business and labor.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 30, 2010
And Maria Cantwell goes from zero to hero -- a year after activists denounced her as soft on health reform, lawmakers say senator deserves the credit.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 26, 2010
Why, they're Seattle City Light folks! A clever shift avoids an embarrassing defeat for the Queen City in a long-running dam dispute.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 25, 2010
Legal challenge could overturn long-running environmental cleanup program -- lawmakers, greens started thinking too big, says plaintiff Tim Hamilton.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 25, 2010
The governor says she's getting sick and tired of waiting for the House and Senate to agree on taxes -- and she might have to order deep cuts.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 24, 2010
The House tax plan paints bullseyes on their foreheads -- and their arguments explain why lawmakers are having so much trouble getting out of Dodge.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 23, 2010
Republican A.G. will join national lawsuit to battle health reform bill, and Dems say he's finally given them political ammo in 2012 governor's race.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 22, 2010
Here's the entire floor debate as the Senate Dems advance their tax plan toward a final collision with the House. Sales-tax battle still to come.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 22, 2010
The complete first hour of the debate as House Dems gather ramming speed on Senate, rejecting sales tax and favoring taxes on selected businesses.
|
|
A Department of Ecology report that no one seems to have read offers a way out of the state's stormwater mess -- without raising taxes or gas prices.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 18, 2010
Democratic State Treasurer James McIntire gives ammo to opponents of construction plan -- says state ought to raise taxes to pay for it.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 17, 2010
Hans Dunshee is pushing a bond program that would create jobs by retrofitting public buildings and putting the state in debt.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 15, 2010
Reuven Carlyle (with baseball mitt) keeps busy during what looks like a mighty slow session. Lawmakers said they were bored -- on the first day!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 12, 2010
A controversial hike in oil taxes will be a front-and-center battle when the Legislature comes back from its three-day weekend, top Dems say.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 11, 2010
It is when the Legislature decides to tax dues and initiation fees. Turns out a populist whack at fat-cats hits the auto club the hardest.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 10, 2010
The state's nursing homes have an idea that could save the state $27 million. So how come the idea isn't getting anywhere?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 9, 2010
Best speeches from the House floor as the lower chamber passes a curiously truncated tax bill Tuesday morning. Don't worry, it'll get bigger.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 9, 2010
Not that she's coming right out and saying she's going to call lawmakers back -- but agreement on budgets and taxes seems impossible by Thursday.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 7, 2010
The best speeches from the Senate floor -- lawmakers Sunday explain the the state's budget crisis, and why you'll pay the billion-dollar price.
|
|
by: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 6, 2010
Senate battles for hours over the tax bill, and a senator makes a Freudian slip.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 4, 2010
Gutsy lawmakers drink every day from BPA bottles as they crack down on baby bottles and sippy cups. How come none of them are scared?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 4, 2010
Include her out, says Judy Clibborn of a green plan to raise oil taxes. The measure is one of the top priorities for the environmental lobby, but support appears to be faltering.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 3, 2010
Talk about Nixon going to China! Former Supreme Court justice and Democratic lion says the constitution blocks a green tax scheme.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | March 1, 2010
The Washington Education Association socked money away when the state paid too much for insurance, and Republicans fear 'mischief.'
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 27, 2010
The state Senate Saturday evening took the first big budget vote of the year, appproving a spending plan that will require nearly $1 billion in new taxes. And it ducks the question -- how is the Legislature going to pay for it all?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 28, 2010
Transportation chair warns Senate about plummeting gas-tax revenues -- and shows why the asphalt lobby hates a green plan to raise taxes on oil.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 26, 2010
The state isn't telling companies about a tax case they might win, while the Legislature tries to close a gaping tax loophole after the fact.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 25, 2010
It isn't that business wants a sales-tax hike. It's that the Legislature's plan to close 'loopholes' seems so much worse.
|
|
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?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 24, 2010
Jaws drop on showroom floors: If state ends a trade-in tax credit, customers would pay sales tax twice. What's that going to do to sales?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 23, 2010
Tim Hamilton's service station operators say they'll challenge a proposed oil-tax hike in court -- a major roadblock for one budget-balancing scheme.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 22, 2010
Striking similarities: State pension, employee health insurance, and worker compensation funds are all heading toward the red zone.
|
|
By Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 18, 2010
Kreidler says the balance sheets for state-worker health insurance programs are so bleak they would force any private company into recievership.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 17, 2010
A labor effort to expand benefits falls apart during back-room discussions among House Democrats. Business loses too, but sighs relief.
|
|
By: The Editors | Washington State Wire | Feb. 17, 2010
There seem to be thousands of studies on Washington's business climate, but the best ones show that the state lags behind its competition.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 16, 2010
Monday was a day of protest at the state Capitol -- 3,000 teabaggers followed by 6,000 pro-tax protesters. Here's a gallery of images from the demonstrations.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 14, 2010
House Dems' plan to end tax exemptions brings howls from business. Targets include shippers, border towns, aviation and tax planners.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 14, 2010
Port districts and trade interests come out swinging against a tax increase on interstate truck and train shipments -- would chase traffic to L.A., B.C., they say.
|
|
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.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 15, 2010
Dems' tax plan would send airplane taxes into the stratosphere, aviation interests warn -- and pilots and charter operators might have to bail.
|
|
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!
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Feb. 12, 2010
Seattle's hardball tactics with powerless county crumble when Legislature threatens bill -- strikes deal on back pay for dam, negotiations continue.
|
|
Two final forecasts this week add $214 million to the state's budget woes, but there's good news -- it's not going to get any worse.
|
|
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.
|
|
The Queen City doesn't like impact fees when it has to pay, and angry officials of Pend Oreille County have taken their beef to Olympia.
|
|
Environmentalists are riding to the Legislature's rescue with a plan for a massive tax increase on oil. But odds are you'll pay for it at the pump.
|
|
Overturning I-960 is the first step toward what appears to be an inevitable tax increase -- 'You're stepping on us,' activists complain.
|
|
Billions of dollars in electric bills are at stake in rewrite of Initiative 937. But utilities and greens are at loggersheads.
|
|
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!
|
|
Eight risk-taking House Dems petition a committee chairman to release a business-backed worker's compensation bill. Nothing doing, though -- and the bill dies without a hearing.
|
|
Environmentalists sweeten proposal by offering exactly enough to balance the state budget -- plan would raise gas prices, cut money for roads.
|
|
After talks with labor reach an impasse, Dems want business to go back to the table. Fed-up business groups say an initiative is the only solution.
|
|
Attorney general's property-rights bills are dying for lack of a hearing. Is it local-government opposition? Or his possible campaign for governor?
|
|
New plan from Building Industry Association of Washington faces certain death in the Democrat-controlled legislature -- but that's not the point.
|
|
Unions battle pay-cut proposals and demand "shared sacrifice" -- so a cheeky Republican suggests pay freezes for everyone, lawmakers included.
|
|
Environmentalists' political war on BPA plastics now turns to state Senate -- will lawmakers expand ban to sports-water bottles?
|
|
Rate payers could be big losers if no compromise is reached -- one utility predicts 20 percent electric-bill increase without changes to I-937.
|
|
A clever Democratic strategy this year earmarks tax increases for specific purposes and brings lobbying muscle to bear. But is it a false choice?
|
|
Two key lawmakers file bills to force utilities and greens to compromise on Initiative 937 – but there's no deal yet. Will last year's war resume?
|
|
The Building Industry Association of Washington turns up the pressure on the Legislature with a proposal to junk the state's worker-comp system.
|
|
Business measure is spiked by Democratic leaders because of stiff opposition from labor -- could an initiative be coming?
|
|
Some businesses saw a ten-fold increase for 2010 -- and taxes will keep climbing over the next two years.
|
|
Business interests see it that way. To get $98 million in one-time federal money, the state considers benefit expansion. Labor backs the plan.
|
|
A Senate panel passes a bill banning BPA plastics in baby products -- a nod to environmental activists who won't wait for scientific consensus.
|
|
To what end? They call it good government, but opponents say it's revenge for last year's anti-gay-rights battle -- and an attack on initiatives.
|
|
Cle Elum Republican makes a daring confession to the governor.
|
|
Attorney General Rob McKenna takes the side of property-rights advocates with bills that would block government land-grabs for private development.
|
|
And the statement consists of loud boos. A "tea party" rally on the Capitol steps jeers Democrats who voted against procedural motions on state-sovereignty bills.
|
|
Costs are rising, a showdown is coming, and one business group is threatening an initiative.
|
|
The governor's State of the State address admits the grim realities of the state's economy -- new budget proposal dodges the hardest questions.
|
|
Washington activists want the state to join a national movement to ban BPA plastics, but the politics are way ahead of the science.
|
|
This year's nasty, bruising legislative session opened Monday. If you thought last year was awful, just wait!
|
|
The budget might be a quagmire, but lucky lawmakers have other things to talk about this year.
|
|
While the state faces a huge shortfall and a tax increase is on the table, state workers are in line for an $83 million pay raise. Yes, really.
|
|
High-minded speeches mark session's start -- the hard part comes later.
|
|
As much as $1 billion might come from Congress, the governor says -- and that means this year's tax-increase debate could be put off for months.
|
|
Big budget troubles and no plan portend troubles with Wall Street. If a bad bond rating follows, cost could be hundreds of millions.
|
|
A new audit report says massive premium increases will be needed to prevent insolvency and state officials have seriously understated the problem.
|
|
Attorney General McKenna would make it a crime to look at child porn on the Internet -- part of an ambitious agenda for the coming session.
|
|
Maybe it wasn't as blatant as some of the horse-trading in D.C., but Washington got a few goodies in the Senate health reform bill.
|
|
Washington could raise as much as $350 million by exiting the liquor business, state auditor says in a sweeping new report on government efficiency.
|
|
After world climate summit, Gregoire hopes to make Washington an example -- but she's leaving the most ambitious part to Congress.
|
|
Medicaid money might finally be freed for state's beleaguered insurance program -- Cantwell wins change to Senate health reform bill.
|
|
State plans to slash Medicaid interpreters -- and everyone seems to have forgotten the program settled a lawsuit years ago. Ready for another?
|
|
Health secretary awards a big cash prize for a children's health insurance program -- just in time to keep Olympia from chopping it.
|
|
The governor's budget proposal covers less than half of the problem, and state employees can count on big increases in their out-of-pocket costs.
|
|
This time the problem is only $17 million -- and the state may finally be able to see bottom, says the state's top economist. Recovery comes next.
|
|
Brown, the Senate majority leader, a possible contender for governor, and the state's number-one income-tax advocate, says next year isn't the time.
|
|
And that's not all lawmakers will be arguing about -- new bills would legalize marijuana, privatize liquor stores, and crack down on plasma TVs.
|
|
Gov. Gregoire kicks off the budget debate with a spending plan she hopes nobody will take seriously.
|
|
Wild rumors of tax increases are sweeping the state Capitol -- How about a 1-percent sales tax hike, for starters?
|
|
Gov. Gregoire has rolled out plans to save $11 million -- but government efficiencies alone can't eliminate the state's $2.6 billion budget problem.
|
|
Washington governor bars Arkansas parolees, makes scathing remarks about Republican contender Huckabee, and lays 4 cop-killings at his door.
|
|
The Legislature hasn't gotten around to repealing tough requirements for tax increases, but don't worry, says initiative promoter -- it will.
|
|
Maybe they won't solve the state's budget crisis, but reorganizations in natural resources and commerce might save a few bucks.
|
|
Lawmakers are returning to Olympia this week, but they won't hold a special session -- and their best chance to cut state spending will be gone.
|
|
It sounds like the easy way to solve the state's $2.6 billion budget nightmare -- but the biggest tax breaks go to citizens themselves.
|
|
Washington isn't the only state facing a budget crisis next year -- lawmakers everywhere are rushing to plug billion-dollar holes.
|
|
The election came and went, but the lawsuits live on -- should signatures on petitions remain secret?
|
|
Pain isn't all they kill -- Washington's death rate is alarming, and state agencies are beginning to take a hard line.
|
|
The state's top economist delivers more bad news -- and now lawmakers know how big a problem they face next year. Tax increases, anyone?
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Nov. 16, 2010
Washington is embarking on a plan that would radically restructure primary care -- and someday might put everyone in a "medical home."
|
|
Schools will close and criminals will run wild in the streets if Washington doesn't raise taxes -- does the governor's office have your attention?
|
|
Public health agencies are responding to the flu crisis with precision, says the state's health secretary -- despite a budget crisis of their own.
|
|
And it's going to get deeper -- you can count on it.
|
|
The state's pension system is in serious trouble -- and a massive bill is coming due.
|
|
A state regulatory panel shoots down a plan that would allow optometrists to perform minor surgeries -- but it's the kind of fight that may never end.
|
|
As an agency director, Ted Sturdevant is an unknown quantity -- and observers of one of the state's most controversial agencies are hopeful.
|
|
While Pelosi makes a victory speech in Seattle, passage of health reform in the House prompts the governor to send her lieutenants to D.C.
|
|
If only people would start spending again, says forecaster Arun Raha -- then everything would be fine.
|
|
The one thing this year's election showed is that Washington is split -- and that what goes for Seattle doesn't go for the rest of the state.
|
|
Washington voters shoot down a tax revolt that would have put a crimp in the next Legislature, and send a Democrat to the King County exec's office.
|
|
The state Board of Health votes to eliminate special protections for AIDS tests -- and demonstrates how attitudes toward the disease have changed.
|
|
An angry Yakima lawmaker says a state agency is making up for budget cuts by charging a whopping administrative fee for a med-school program.
|
|
Exactly how big a hole lawmakers will have to fill next year is anyone’s guess at this point. But it looks like it's between $1 billion and $2 billion. And lawmakers will either have to raise taxes, or else they’ll have to cut -- again.
|
|
A look at the most interesting ballot measure you've never heard of -- a sweeping measure on the Spokane ballot next month that would create a "Community Bill of Rights."
|
|
Too clever by half, say critics -- but state officials say it's one way to keep hospitals whole.
|
|
The state is going too far, business says, with a proposed rate increase during a recession -- and it may ask voters to approve private competition.
|
|
Health reform proposals before Congress punt the big decisions back to the states -- and you can count on a local repeat of the year's biggest fight.
|
|
Or at least they come earlier. By-mail voting has been a revolution in Washington, not just for voters but for campaigns.
|
|
A state cost-cutting move to generic drugs puts patients at risk, they say.
|
|
Spokane’s Proposition 4, a first-of-its-kind ballot measure that could become a model for activists nationwide, puts the city in such uncharted legal territory that critics think it will be laughed out of court if it ever gets that far.
|
|
Making the health care system more efficient is one of those things that reminds you of the weather – everybody complains, but nobody ever does anything about it. But in Washington state, an effort that got under way long before health care reform occurred to Congress is starting to get somewhere.
|
|
State government's biggest insurance plan won't see major changes next year -- because a court ruling says bidding wasn't kosher.
|
|
Steep increases in health insurance copayments and deductibles make state employee unions furious.
|
|
Are state health benefits too generous? Some copays and deductibles will double and triple next year -- and unions are dismayed.
|
|
The Legislature thought it gave public employees a 3-percent increase in health benefits -- but an off-target estimate has set it back to zero.
|
|
|
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 James Bopp, Jr., the conservative attorney who has been picking away at campaign-finance restrictions nationwide. And in the state's biggest-spending year for initiatives ever, that means the enormous contributions can keep right on coming until election day.
|
|
By: Erik Smith | Washington State Wire | Sept. 3, 2010
A lawsuit to overturn the results of the Senate race in the 38th Legislative District became a probability Friday. Phil Talmadge is on the case. He gave notice to Attorney General Rob McKenna and the Snohomish County prosecutor that if they don't sue, he will. All because of a phony Republican mailer from the left that did exactly what it was supposed to -- destroy incumbent Sen. Jean Berkey in the primary.
|
|
By: Bob Keefe | Washington, D.C.
In this "Letter from Washington," Bob Keefe says America's military involvement in the Near East remains at the forefront of everyone's mind in the nation's capital. Meanwhile, Joe Miller's election as senator from Alaska portends trouble in Republican ranks.
|
|
| By: Jim Boldt | Washington State Wire | Sept. 3, 2010 |
It’s a shame Washington citizens, and particularly voters, don’t take the time to look behind the curtain at think-tank reports. Do they actually know it is a word game, or cooked-up findings?
Yes, it comes from both sides. The conservative think tanks take a data set, twist the numbers, and shape the findings. The liberals do the same thing.
So today’s announcement by the Washingto...
|
|
| By: Melvin G. Ashton | Washington State Wire | Sept. 2, 2010 |
It’s back to school time, and as a parent of children in our public school system, I’m shocked and dismayed by the “Not the WASL” test scores just released by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. And the most disturbing thing is not the performance of our kids, but the behavior and beliefs of the ‘adults’ running the show.
So, pop quiz. Don’t worry, it’s open book, and you can find a...
|
|
| By: Jim Boldt | Washington State Wire | Aug. 25, 2010 |
1. The head of the Port of Seattle gave us all a moment of relief when he announced he would not accept a raise this year. He went home, sat down at the table and realized he could get by with his meager $334,000 a year. That of course is just the salary, the monthly nut. I feel better knowing he won't have to miss, what? A trip to Asia? No, the port sends him there for free. Maybe a new Lexus or ...
|
|
| By: Melvin G. Ashton | Washington State Wire | Aug. 25, 2010 |
We are all cognitive misers – that means our brains are lazy. We like things to follow a pattern, and we don’t like to spend time reviewing the data looking for the exception. So when we develop a ‘truth’, we tend to stick with it even when the data doesn’t support our lazy view of the world.
In reading the comments on the latest Seattle Times “Truth Needle” article, plenty of people mad...
|
|
Democrat Heck Faces Surprising Uphill Battle in Congressional Race
|
|
Appeals Court Denies Stay -- Friday is Big Day
|
|
Reverses Previous Gallup Poll Showing Republicans 10 Points Ahead
|
| By: Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
|
Editorial: Best Chance for Tax Reform in Four Decades
|
| By: Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
|
Would Make it Difficult to Compete With National Drug Chains
|
|
Insurance Commissioner Claims I-1082 is Ploy to Refill Organization's Coffers -- Hogwash is Rejoinder
|
|
A Bit Too Secretive, Admits Report
|
|
Holds Firm on Demands -- Republicans Hope He'll Disappear
|
|
Says West Virginia Town Name Violates Code of Conduct -- City Fathers Outraged
|
|
Health insurers say they plan to raise premiums for some Americans as a direct result of the health overhaul in coming weeks, complicating Democrats' efforts to trumpet their signature achievement.
|
|
In recent years, cognitive scientists have shown that a few simple techniques can reliably improve what matters most: how much a student learns from studying.
|
|
The waiver is only valid for one year, and plans must reapply annually "in accordance with future guidance from HHS."
|
|
About half a dozen states have banned BPA in children’s products, and U.S. Senator Feinstein hopes to accomplish the same nationwide, with an amendment to the food safety bill scheduled for a vote in the Senate next week.
|
|
One in five Americans lights up regularly. If all states had prevention programs like those in California and Utah, 5 million fewer people would be smoking, the agency says.
|
|
When generics first come on the market, the rebates on brand-name drugs may still make them less expensive.
|
|
Double-digit rate increases are hitting most individual health-insurance plans in Washington state, hurting jobless workers and worrying insurance regulators.
|
|
Nonetheless, the Washington Federation of State Employees, which is bargaining on behalf of about 40,000 workers, has rejected the governor’s offer.
|
|
There is good reason to be scared into action. Every year, 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur, leading to about 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.
|
|
The researchers said their estimate includes $45.6 billion in what's known as defensive medicine costs -- when doctors prescribe unnecessary tests or treatments to avoid lawsuits.
|
| By: U.S. News & World Report |
|
Researchers have calculated that more than half of the 354 million doctor visits made each year for medical care, like for fevers, stomachaches and coughs, are not with a patient’s primary physician, and that more than a quarter take place in hospital emergency rooms.
|
|
Newly installed Medicare chief Donald Berwick, keeping a low public profile after encountering controversy over his appointment, is moving quickly behind the scenes to seed the US health care system with 100 to 300 sites to test new models of caring for patients.
|
|
|
RSS Links
.jpg)
Subscribe to this feed
