Emily Makings

W&M operating budget amendments would transfer more from reserves to fund additional spending

On Monday, the Senate Ways & Means (W&M) Committee amended and passed its chair’s operating budget proposal. Adopted amendments would increase appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $191.1 million in 2023–25. Total NGFO appropriations for 2023–25 would be $69.375 billion. Of the changes, the maintenance level (the cost of continuing current services, […]

House chair’s operating budget would increase appropriations for new policies by $5.004 billion

New policies in the House Appropriations Committee chair’s 2023–25 operating budget proposal would increase appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $5.004 billion. (Maintenance level changes would increase appropriations by another $914.6 million.) The chart below compares the policy changes to those in the proposals from the governor and the Senate Ways & […]

House chair’s operating budget balances over four years because it assumes higher-than-normal reversions

The House Appropriations Committee chair’s 2023–25 operating budget proposal would appropriate $70.044 billion from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO). That’s $859.9 million more than has been proposed by the Senate Ways & Means Committee chair, and it would be an increase of 9.2% over enacted 2021–23 appropriations. (The House chair’s proposal would appropriate $359.0 […]

Senate chair’s 2023 supplemental would reduce 2021–23 appropriations by $711.5 million

As in Gov. Inslee’s operating budget proposal, the Senate Ways & Means Committee chair’s 2023–25 proposal balances in part thanks to reductions in appropriations for 2021–23. The Senate chair’s 2023 supplemental proposal would reduce 2021–23 appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $711.5 million. Maintenance level (the cost of continuing current services, adjusted […]

Like the governor’s operating budget proposal, the Senate chair’s is heavy on provider rates and compensation

The Senate Ways & Means Committee chair’s operating budget proposal would increase appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $5.059 billion compared to the enacted 2022 supplemental. (That includes appropriations in other legislation.) The maintenance level (the cost of continuing current services, adjusted for enrollment and inflation) is estimated to increase by $914.5 […]

Senate chair’s operating budget proposal would increase appropriations by 7.9%, use WRPTA

The Senate Ways & Means Committee chair has proposed an operating budget for 2023–25 that would appropriate $69.184 billion from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO). (That figure includes $50.2 million that would be appropriated by E2SSB 5536, which relates to controlled substances and the Blake decision.) This level of appropriations would be a 7.9% […]

State transportation revenues are estimated to track closely to what had been estimated in Feb. 2022, but they are still below pre-pandemic estimates

On Monday, the Transportation Revenue Forecast Council adopted a new transportation revenue forecast. (The documents were posted yesterday afternoon.) Under the forecast, the state is estimated to collect $6.598 billion in transportation revenues in 2021–23 and $7.046 billion in 2023–25. Looking at the 10-year forecast window, the March 2023 forecast estimates that transportation revenues will […]

The transportation revenue forecast would be more transparent under a proposal to move responsibility for it to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council

On Monday, the Senate Transportation Committee heard ESHB 1838, which was passed unanimously by the House earlier this month. The bill would move responsibility for the transportation revenue forecast from transportation agency staff to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC). This would substantially improve transparency. Under current law, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) […]

Legislators have $3 billion more in revenues than when they wrote the current budget

Gov. Inslee’s operating budget proposals were based on the November 2022 revenue forecast, but legislators will rely on the March forecast. As Kriss reported yesterday, compared to the November forecast, the March revenue forecast increased the estimated revenues for the current biennium, but decreased estimated revenues for the next two biennia. Altogether, over the budget […]

Senate Chair’s capital budget proposal would devote a much higher level of resources to housing programs than has been typical, without a dedicated housing bond referendum

Senators Mullet and Schoesler (the Vice Chair and Ranking Member of the Ways & Means Committee, capital budget) have released their capital budget proposal for 2023–25. For the biennium, it would appropriate $7.890 billion from all funds. Adjusted for inflation, that is a decrease of 4.9% from the current capital budget. The Senate chair’s proposal […]