Lucy Berliner, David Fine - February 2001

The 2000 Legislature directed the Institute to compare placement decisions and funding methodologies for residential care services for children in long-term foster care and to examine the best practices in other states (EHB 2487). This report addresses the state’s funding methodologies. A separate report covers innovative practices and a literature review.

Lee Doran, Lucy Berliner - February 2001

The 2000 Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Institute) to examine best practices in other states regarding placement decisions for children in long-term foster care (EHB 2487 §607 (5)).  The following topics are covered in this report:  1) Placement decision-making;   2) Research findings of children in foster care; and 3) Innovative practices in other states. 

Lee Doran, Lucy Berliner - February 2001

Washington State’s Adoption Support Program encourages families to adopt children from the child welfare system who, because of age, race, physical condition, or emotional health, are considered difficult to place.  The program was established by the 1971 Legislature and is intended to remove financial barriers to adoption.  Adoption assistance includes help with legal costs, fees for adoption, ongoing monthly maintenance for adopted children with special needs, medical coverage, counseling reimbursements, and training opportunities for adoptive parents.  The 2000 Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to review the Adoption Support Program (EHB 2487 §607 (5)).

Steve Lerch, Jim Mayfield - February 2001

The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) contracted with the Institute to develop models and procedures to forecast revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. This report describes (1) current impediments to developing detailed revenue forecast models, (2) short-term strategies for forecasting license revenues, and (3) suggestions for improving forecast methodology as more information becomes available.

David Boerner, Roxanne Lieb - January 2001

Lessons from Washington State's sentencing reform in the early 1980s are summarized in this 2001 article.

Kathy Gookin, Steve Aos - January 2001

Prevention programs are often though of as investments in the future; that is, spending money today on successful prevention programs can produce taxpayer and other savings for years into the future.  Just as any investor might examine the content of his or her portfolio from time to time, this study provides a snapshot of the total amount of prevention-related spending by Washington State Government during the 1999-2001 biennium.  Programs that address at-risk youth behaviors are the focus of this spending account. 

Edie Harding, Mason Burley, Barbara McLain, Madeleine Thompson - January 2001

This interim report, presented to the Legislature in January 2001, provides background for the study with a special emphasis on current data available for high school student outcomes and performance in Washington. National and state trends in education reform are also examined.

Mason Burley, Steve Lerch, Jim Mayfield - January 2001

This report looks at the three-year history of the state's welfare reform program, WorkFirst, and assesses some of the key issues facing welfare reform in the coming years.  One of the foremost issues is the 5-year time limit on welfare benefits, which will take effect in Washington State beginning August 2002.  Approximately 7,600 individuals on WorkFirst may reach the 5-year time limit between 2002 and 2003.  This study describes these high risk cases, outlines the factors that increase the likelihood of remaining on welfare, and follows program participation of long-term recipients.

Steve Lerch - January 2001

This report examines the bidding process used by the Public Employee Benefits Board to purchase state employee health benefits from managed care organizations. Three options having the potential to improve decision-making and reduce costs are identified: 1) requiring the bidding process to occur before the biennial budget is passed; 2) limiting the number of accepted bids in a geographic area; and 3) requesting annual and multi-year bids.

Barbara McLain - January 2001

The 1999 Legislature requested the Institute to review the effectiveness of HOPE Centers and Responsible Living Skills Programs (RLSPs), two new state services for street youth.  This interim report describes the legislative intent in creating these services, provides an implementation update, and summarizes preliminary findings regarding characteristics of the youth served and services provided.