Articles By Author Jason Mercier
Articles by Jason Mercier
03/04/2010 12:00 AM
On three separate occasions (1993, 1998 and 2007) Washington state voters have approved an initiative or referendum to require a two-thirds vote of lawmakers ...(read more)
01/18/2010 12:00 AM
Like most states, Washington lawmakers again face a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. One tool available for improving service delivery while addressing ...(read more)
01/17/2010 12:00 AM
Washington lawmakers again face a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. One tool available for improving service delivery while addressing the budget deficit ...(read more)
08/01/2009 12:00 AM
Thanks to the veto pen of Gov. Chris Gregoire (D), Washington state’s performance audit program remains intact and adequately funded. The move gives ...(read more)
01/01/2009 12:00 AM
With Washington state facing a projected $3.2 billion budget deficit—the difference between growing revenues and even-faster spending growth—one ...(read more)
12/01/2008 12:00 AM
Against the backdrop of a projected $2.7 billion state budget deficit, Washington State Auditor Brian Sonntag has been busy making recommendations that ...(read more)
07/01/2008 12:00 AM
A commission appointed last year by former New York governor Eliot Spitzer (D) has announced the state's taxpayers could save $1 billion a year by consolidating ...(read more)
07/01/2008 12:00 AM
For years, taxpayer advocacy groups have been sounding the alarm about serious spending problems facing the nation and the lack of attention elected officials ...(read more)
06/01/2008 12:00 AM
To overcome a forecast $2.4 billion budget deficit, the majority leader of the Washington state senate is suing the state to make it easier for lawmakers ...(read more)
02/01/2008 12:00 AM
A tax earthquake with the potential to reshape the 2008 general election has shaken Washington State.
The state supreme court on November 8 overturned ...(read more)
02/01/2008 12:00 AM
The Washington Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling to overturn ballot measure I-747 brought nearly universal condemnation in Washington State.
The court majority ...(read more)
01/01/2008 12:00 AM
Based on the results of the November election, 2007 may go down in history as a year of mini-tax revolt in Washington State.
Not only were a majority ...(read more)
12/01/2007 12:00 AM
In a welcome surprise for taxpayers in Washington State's Thurston County, county commissioners decided not to enact a $20 surcharge on top of the current ...(read more)
11/01/2007 12:00 AM
Voter turnout in Washington's first August primary election, held August 21, may have been low, but in the Columbia River-side city of Vancouver, more than ...(read more)
10/25/2007 12:00 AM
It’s an honor to be here today at The Heartland Institute’s Fourth Annual Emerging Issues Forum.
Not only do I appreciate the opportunity to share with ...(read more)
01/01/2007 12:00 AM
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is considering a draft proposal that would permit limited private "sponsorship" of state parks. The ...(read more)
11/01/2006 12:00 AM
Taxpayers across the nation are voicing concern over tax subsidies for private sports teams. One of those debates is occurring in Seattle, Washington, centered ...(read more)
08/01/2006 12:00 AM
On June 9 Snohomish County (Washington) Superior Court Judge James Allendoerfer filed a letter with the court indicating he believes the state exceeded ...(read more)
08/01/2006 12:00 AM
A court ruling that invalidated Washington State taxes on liquor and extended warranties has been stayed by a state supreme court commissioner pending the ...(read more)
06/01/2006 12:00 AM
Washington state's 2005-07 budget violates Washington's tax and expenditure limit, according to a ruling issued March 17 by Snohomish County Superior Court ...(read more)
03/01/2006 12:00 AM
With a $1.45 billion ending fund balance projected for the remainder of the 2005-07 budget biennium, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) is proposing ...(read more)
01/01/2006 12:00 AM
In a reform nearly half a century in the making, Washington state voters in November restored the state auditor's authority to conduct independent and comprehensive ...(read more)
09/01/2005 12:00 AM
Four days after the Washington Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit asking to protect voters' right to file a referendum on legislative actions, groups representing ...(read more)
07/01/2005 12:00 AM
The State of Washington is being sued by a coalition of grassroots organizations for overturning a voter-approved initiative that limited the state's power ...(read more)
07/01/2005 12:00 AM
The Washington state legislature's intentional use of emergency clauses to avoid citizen initiatives became clear in the following exchange between State ...(read more)
