Blog

Gov. Inslee freezes hiring, contracts, purchasing, and travel

On Monday, Gov. Inslee directed agencies to freeze hiring, services contracts, goods and equipment purchases, and travel. This is in response to the budget deficit that is projected for 2025–27. Such a directive is the standard first response to a deficit—Gov. Inslee made a similar directive in May 2020 and Gov. Gregoire did the same […]

Dept. of Agriculture requests major funding increase for food assistance

General fund–state (GFS) appropriations for the Department of Agriculture were effectively flat from 2011–13 through 2019–21. Then, appropriations (adjusted for inflation) jumped 120.8% in 2021–23 and another 46.4% in 2023–25. Now, the department is requesting an increase of 56.7% for 2025–27. The total requested GFS increase of $89.3 million is comprised of a carry-forward level […]

Transportation revenues are expected to decline further, driven by significantly lower gasoline consumption estimates

The transportation revenue forecast has been revised down again. As I wrote last month, the September transportation revenue forecast was the first coordinated by the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council and it was the first meaningful update to the motor vehicle fuel tax forecast in over a year. The transportation revenue forecast includes revenues from […]

No help for operating budget writers in the November revenue and caseload forecasts

As Kriss wrote last week, state revenues are now expected to be lower than forecasted in September. Compared to the February revenue forecast (on which the current budget is based), revenues from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) are now expected to be $1.008 billion lower through the outlook period (2023–25, 2025–27, and 2027–29). Note, […]

Department of Commerce seeks to build on its recent budget increases (plus, a document recording fee “backfill”)

General fund–state (GFS) appropriations for the Department of Commerce more than doubled in 2021–23 and 2023–25. Commerce’s budget request for 2025–27 would increase its GFS appropriations by $89.3 million (7.8%) over 2023–25. This includes a carry-forward level reduction of $381.0 million, a maintenance level increase of $15.5 million, and new policy increases of $454.9 million. […]

Department of Fish and Wildlife requests a 37% budget increase

General fund–state (GFS) spending for the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has increased substantially since 2017–19. Now, the department is requesting an operating budget increase of 37.2% for 2025–27. Under the request, GFS appropriations would be $475.0 million. (See the box at the bottom of this post for budget and fund terminology.) New policy […]

OFM: An estimated four-year operating budget deficit of $10–$12 billion

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) estimates that “the magnitude of the operating budget deficit is between $10 and $12 billion over the four-year period.” OFM is asking agencies “to propose operating and transportation budget reductions, starting with pauses or delays of programs, and to identify savings options for both the 2025 supplemental budgets and […]

Office of Public Defense requests an 85.6% budget increase, mainly to increase funding for cities and counties

The Office of Public Defense (OPD) is requesting $272.2 million from the general fund–state (GFS) for 2025–27. That would be an increase of $125.6 million (85.6%) over enacted 2023–25 appropriations for the agency. The increase would mostly be new policy items. (See the box at the bottom of this post for budget and fund terminology.) […]

Election results do not change our estimate of a $5 billion state budget shortfall

On election night, the Seattle Times reported that I-2109, I-2117, and I-2124 had been rejected. The story added that the results “mean that Washington’s Legislature will likely avoid a major budget shortfall in the upcoming legislative session.” That is not accurate. Our estimate of the substantial projected operating budget shortfall did not assume passage of […]

Washington’s state and local taxes and spending per capita ranked 14th and 15th highest among the states in 2022

The tax burden on businesses in Washington is above the national average, as we wrote in a policy brief earlier this week. New data from the U.S. Census Bureau allows us to compare total state and local taxes and spending in Washington to other states for fiscal year 2022. The two main ways to compare […]