Policy level changes in Gov. Inslee’s 2022 supplemental operating budget proposal would increase appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $4.185 billion. Of that, $357.7 million would be for the Department of Commerce and $317.3 million would be for the Department of Health. Those policy changes are only exceeded by the policy changes for the “special appropriations for the governor” budget area ($1.088 billion), public schools ($1.039 billion), Health Care Authority ($395.6 million), and Department of Social and Health Services ($379.6 million).

Substantial amounts of federal COVID relief funds have flowed through both the Department of Health (vaccines, testing, etc.) and the Department of Commerce (business assistance, rental assistance, etc.). On top of that, the state has increased NGFO funding for the two agencies significantly over the past few biennia, and Gov. Inslee’s proposal would increase their NGFO funding even more.

Under the governor’s proposal, real (adjusted for inflation) NGFO appropriations for the Department of Health in 2021–23 would increase by 220.7% over 2017–19 and real NGFO appropriations for the Department of Commerce in 2021–23 would increase by 376.5% over 2017–19. (Appropriations for all other budget areas would increase by 26.7%.)

The four charts below show the growth in enacted and proposed spending for both agencies, in terms of the NGFO and all budgeted funds.

The bottom two charts show the growth in NGFO and all budgeted funds spending from 2007–09 (pre-Great Recession) to 2021–23 (including the governor’s supplemental proposal).