Blog

The supplemental budget request from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families includes funding for legal settlements and preparation for the upcoming ECEAP entitlement

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has requested an increase of $233.7 million from the general fund–state (GFS) for the 2024 supplemental operating budget. That would increase GFS spending for the agency by 7.6% over enacted 2023–25 appropriations. DCYF was created in 2017. It took over responsibility for children and family services, juvenile […]

Higher education supplemental budget requests include $19 million for WSU to purchase required carbon allowances

Agencies in the higher education budget area (the four-year institutions, the community and technical college system, and the Student Achievement Council) have requested a total increase of $164.0 million from the general fund–state (GFS) for the 2024 supplemental operating budget. (The requested increase from all funds is $179.4 million.) As I wrote yesterday, $100.0 million […]

UW is requesting another $100 million in state funds for its hospitals

The Legislature has appropriated state general funds to the University of Washington hospitals since 1975, according to UW’s 2021–23 budget request. However, the amount has been fairly small until recently. From fiscal year 2012 through 2019, general fund–state (GFS) appropriations for UW hospitals averaged about $13 million a year. Since then, UW has requested and […]

New report: The Transportation Budget, Transportation Revenues, and Long-Term Funding Challenges

Washington enacted a $17 billion, 16-year transportation revenue package last year, and this year the Legislature adopted a $13.616 billion transportation budget for 2023–25. Adjusted for inflation, 2023–25 appropriations are 18.8% higher than appropriations in 2021–23. Transportation budgets are mainly funded by state sources. State funds include forecasted revenues from transportation-related sources and money raised […]

The Dept. of Corrections asks for a 10.8% budget increase (not including the cost of reducing the use of solitary confinement)

For the 2024 supplemental operating budget, the Department of Corrections (DOC) has requested $319.7 million from the general fund–state (GFS) over enacted 2023–25 appropriations (a 10.8% increase). However, the agency is proposing a potentially costly new policy that is not included in that figure. The agency “requests funding to reduce the use of solitary confinement […]

K–12 supplemental budget request would increase paraeducator salaries, provide school meals at no cost to students, and repeal the 15% cap on state funding for special education

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has requested a general fund–state (GFS) increase of $349.7 million for its 2024 supplemental operating budget. This would be a 1.2% increase over the enacted 2023–25 budget. If appropriated, the changes would increase spending by $708.5 million in 2025–27. The biggest bow wave in the request is […]

Dept. of Commerce requests a 37% budget increase

For the 2024 supplemental operating budget, the Department of Commerce has requested an increase of $448.3 million from the general fund–state (GFS). That includes $315.0 million for a federal funding adjustment. (According to Commerce, it needs additional spending authority for eight federal grants it is applying for.) Other notable budget requests include: (Previous posts on […]

Trueblood-related spending is a major part of DSHS’s budget request

The largest 2024 supplemental budget request is from the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). (I wrote about the agency requests overall earlier this week.) DSHS has requested a $775.5 million increase to its general fund–state (GFS) operating budget (an increase of 7.7% over enacted 2023–25 appropriations). Of the new requests by DSHS, 72.4% […]

Agency requests for the 2024 supplemental budget would increase appropriations by 4%

Many state agencies have submitted their funding requests for the 2024 supplemental operating budget. Altogether, their requests would increase general fund­–state (GFS) appropriations for 2023–25 by 4.2%. (These numbers are incomplete and preliminary, but the agencies included account for 97.1% of GFS appropriations in the original 2023–25 budget. For more on the enacted 2023–25 operating […]

Transportation revenue forecast is not much changed since March

Last week state agencies presented the September transportation revenue forecast. The transportation revenue forecast includes the gas tax, vehicle and driver fees, tolls, ferry fares, the 0.3% vehicle sales and use tax, the rental car tax, and other transportation-related sources. The forecast does not include revenues from the carbon emission allowance auctions. For 2023–25, the […]