News & Stories

California voters of all political stripes see a public health benefit to paid sick days, and by a 73% to 23% margin would support a law to guarantee that workers receive a minimum number of paid sick days from their employer. From the California Center for Research on Women and Families: Support…crosses party lines, and […]

I met someone in the grocery store the other day who had just moved back to the city from the suburbs. The reason: gas prices. A year ago the average cost per gallon in Washington was $2.96. On Aug. 1, it was $4.17, according to AAA. That’s 18 cents below the peak price a few […]

The American Dream: A fair start — then work hard and play by the rules, and you’ll have a chance to live a better life. But today, a widening education gap threatens the Dream, and with it our nation’s long-term economic success. From David Brooks: America’s educational progress was amazingly steady [between 1870-1950], and the […]

A new survey of Ohioans finds that 50 percent went to work at least once in the past year when they should have stayed home to get better (hat tip to The Inside Job): The poll, conducted by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health, found the chief reasons employees […]

There is a quiet debate going on in Washington right now (in various venues) over the extent of the state’s fiscal responsibility for early learning. This is a welcome shift in public dialogue, away from a debate over the merits of pre-k for improved academic outcomes, child health, and other benefits, and toward a discussion […]

With both parents working outside the home in most households, affordable, high-quality childcare is critical to promoting a climate that is healthy for our businesses and families. But according to a recent KING 5 TV report, more parents than ever in King County are desperately searching for childcare and getting nowhere: The problem: “more children […]

Last week I spent a couple days in our nation’s capital. After my meetings, I had time to stroll down the mall from the Lincoln Memorial, past the Washington Monument, and White House, toward the Capitol building. I saw families from across the United States and around the world posing for pictures, absorbing the history […]

To find out, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored a fact-finding mission, led by the Economic Opportunity Institute and the World Forum Foundation, to England and Finland. Both countries are widely hailed as models in early childhood education. This is what they discovered: The companion report showcases the practical findings and transformational nature of […]

With just over a year to go, Washington’s innovative Family Leave Insurance program passed another milestone early this month. The state’s Information Services Board (ISB) recently approved the design of a computer system that will deliver checks to new parents who take time off work as part of the state’s paid family leave program. Speaking […]

From environmental protections to new work-life standards, California is a bellwether state that influences state laws and company policies across the rest of the nation. Responding to the challenge of shrinking benefits for large numbers of American workers, California could soon become the first state to require employers to give paid sick leave to every […]

Whether it’s pro football or Monopoly, to play freely and fairly, everyone’s got to use the same rulebook – and play by them. The same goes for the rules of our economy — but our nation’s patchwork of health care plans and lack of consistent work-life standards makes it too tempting for some employers to […]

Thanks in large part to a regressive and out-of-date tax system, the state budget is facing an estimated $2.7 billion shortfall over the next biennium. While Gov. Chris Gregoire and gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi are sparring over where to cut essential state services, the budget gap is a prime opportunity to stimulate our economy through […]

Staying profitable and competitive in the business world is hard work, no two ways about that. The pressure to cut costs is relentless. That’s especially true for “high-road” employers (paying fair wages and benefits to their workers) who compete against “low-road” types. But there are still some inspiring examples of businesses that are “doing well […]

In a potential preview of what’s to come in Washington, South Carolina’s Supreme Court recently heard arguments over the state’s responsibility to provide pre-kindergarten as part of a basic education. There, as here, it’s a constitutional question. Both state’s constitutions (SC/WA) explicitly define education for all children as a state responsibility. At issue is exactly […]

There is more to life than work, as Thomas Jefferson well knew that when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. But really – how easy is it to really pursue happiness when you can’t get a day off of work? For example, in Washington State, 1 in 4 businesses do not offer paid vacation to […]

The Oregonian recently featured four new dads who, like many of their peers, are taking time off from work to bond with their newborns. According to a Columbia University study, those same dads will also tend be more involved later on in their baby’s life, from dressing to nighttime feeding, because of the family leave […]

Basking in the glow of fireworks, it’s sometimes easy to forget that liberty has a very real price tag attached. Three priceless things we buy with our tax dollars every day – by no means the only examples: Education: From public schools to the G.I. bill, accessible and affordable education remains the foundation of personal […]

Washington took an incremental step today toward what will hopefully be broader tax reform in 2009 by joining 21 other states in the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement. By one estimate, the new sales tax agreement will help capture $49 million in tax revenues for state and local governments that formerly went uncollected. That sounds like […]

Across the country, people are waking up to the fact that investments in universal early education pay off. Will Washington State make a commitment to giving its kids a similarly strong start in the upcoming legislative session? The short answer is: maybe. Before we get to the longer answer, a quick look at recent developments […]

Emily Yoffe spent two weeks volunteering at a day care center to find out whether she can “cut it as a day care worker, one of the most exhausting, worst paid, and smelliest jobs in America.” Halfway through her article on Slate.com, she points out: only a handful of the more than 800 occupations surveyed […]

While campaigning in New Mexico, Sen. Barack Obama outlined his plans to support paid family leave and paid sick days policies in every state: Today, 78 percent of workers covered by FMLA don’t take leave because it isn’t paid. That’s just not fair. You shouldn’t be punished for getting sick or dealing with a family […]

A survey released Monday by the AARP of 400 companies of all sizes in Washington State found that while health insurance is costing more for all companies, the price hikes for small businesses are almost three times those of larger companies. Fixing our health care mess would give businesses of every kind a boost and […]

The promise of America is one of opportunity – and part of fulfilling that promise is giving our kids a fair start in life. It’s heartening to see some of our country’s leadership taking steps to guarantee that opportunity for the next generation. On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted 278 to 146 to pass […]

Whether it’s by bad design or bad luck, Washington has its share of tax problems, and then some. The latest problem is a so-called “tax extender” that allows Washington residents to deduct state and local sales taxes on their federal returns. The extender has to be renewed every year by Congress, and it isn’t easy. […]