While there are rumors that lawmakers may wait for the June 18 Revenue Forecast to see if the recent improvement in state economic activity can help bridge the budget divide, state law may make waiting that long a bit tricky.

A few Washington state lawmakers kicked off the first 30-day Special Session yesterday to finish work on the 2013-15 operating budget. They need to come to an agreement but shouldn't forget to bring the public back into the conversation before holding votes.

Time to add a new diagram to the state budget and policy playbook--your state's highest paid employee is probably a football or basketball coach.

Washington’s financial management system does not efficiently meet agency or state needs because of fragmented, outmoded technology.

As part of the budget process, we need to adequately plan for the potential of reduced federal funds.  This applies to everything from the legislature's budget proposals to the way that the adequacy of rainy day funds is calculated.

The bombshell Oregon Medicaid study released this week should give all states pause as they consider plans to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. States must now ask what the point of Medicaid is in the first place. 

Citizens need to know where their dollars are being spent and they need to know where their elected representatives stand on a wide range of policy issues. Including dozens of policy issues that are only tangentially related to the budget, if at all, impedes both those goals.

Several Western states are struggling with how to react to the mineral lease and royalty paymentsequestration cuts by the federal Department of the Interior. But there is an argument to be made that states should not be in this position in the first place.

Cultural issues work their way into state budget processes frequently. Without commenting on their objective validity, they more often than not distract elected officials and citizens alike from the primary focus of the budget process.