News and perspective on public policy issues affecting Washington's economy and quality of life, brought to you by the Economic Opportunity Institute.
Just about everyone was relieved to hear state budget negotiations came to a close early this morning. In general, the headlines have been positive: Basic Health and Disability Lifeline were protected in the budget, and tax breaks for some out-of-state banks and roll-your-own cigarettes have been eliminated. Some not-so-positive-measures were also part of the budget [...]
Passing the Jobs Bonds package should be a top priority for Washington’s Legislature during the special session. Rebuilding school facilities, retrofitting for energy efficiency, improving water quality, and cleaning up the environment will immediately create badly needed jobs across the state – and build the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable economy in the future. [...]
EOI Policy Director Marilyn Watkins will be on KUOW’s The Conversation today talking about the proposed jobs bill in the Washington legislature, which would create 23,000 jobs in Washington state. The three part plan “includes $251 million for higher-ed projects; $152 million for local government infrastructure; $108 million for energy upgrades at schools and universities; [...]
Unemployment remains persistently high, despite the “official” end of the recession in June of 2009. But recent improvements in the overall unemployment rate don’t tell the whole story. The “shadow” unemployment rate, which includes unemployed, underemployed, underutilized and discouraged workers, is a more accurate representation, including workers who have given up looking for jobs, and those who [...]
Recent Comments