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 […]
November 06 , 2024 - Emily Makings
Audit recommends changing the paid family and medical leave rate formula again
In 2022, Washington’s paid family and medical leave (PFML) program experienced cash deficits. Solvency concerns resulted in several program changes that year, including actuarial reporting requirements. (We discussed the program and its solvency problems in a 2022 policy brief.) In 2023, the Legislature appropriated $200 million from the general fund-state to the family and medical […]
November 04 , 2024 - Emily Makings
The community and technical college system requests significant budget increases for compensation and college operations
The community and technical college system (CTCS) is requesting $2.383 billion from the general fund–state (GFS) for 2025–27. This amount would be an increase of $475.0 million (24.9%) compared to enacted 2023–25 appropriations. As the Washington State Standard reported in September, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) discovered that the CTCS inadvertently received $28 million […]
November 04 , 2024 - WRC
New brief: The Business Tax Burden in Washington is Above the National Average
State business and occupation (B&O) tax collections are up 258% since 2000. But businesses also pay sales, property, and many other state and local taxes. Indeed, businesses paid 49.7% of total state and local taxes in Washington in fiscal year 2022, according to a report from the Council on State Taxation. (Nationally, businesses paid an […]
November 01 , 2024 - Emily Makings
Department of Corrections requests a 20.3% spending increase; almost half of that would backfill federal pandemic relief funding that is no longer available
In our policy brief explaining why the state is facing an estimated budget shortfall, we noted that one contributing factor is the fact that federal pandemic relief money is drying up. The 2025–27 operating budget request from the Department of Corrections provides an example of that. Corrections is requesting $3.390 billion from the general fund–state […]
October 31 , 2024 - Emily Makings
Health Care Authority requests an 8.9% budget increase (not including caseload forecast impacts)
The Health Care Authority (HCA) is requesting $8.847 billion from the general fund–state (GFS) for 2025–27. That is an increase of $724.6 million (8.9%) over enacted 2023–25 appropriations. Of the increase, $90.9 million is carry-forward, $180.6 million is maintenance, and $477.0 million is new policy. (See the box at the bottom of this post for […]
October 30 , 2024 - Emily Makings
DSHS requests a 23% budget increase for 2025–27 (and the request misclassifies some new policy as maintenance level)
Our estimate of the 2025–27 budget shortfall is based on the projected cost of continuing to fund current services in the next biennium. That cost is comprised of carry-forward level changes, maintenance level changes, and the estimated cost of collective bargaining agreements (which are considered new policy but are highly likely to be approved by […]
October 28 , 2024 - Emily Makings
DCYF budget request driven by maintenance level items related to the Fair Start for Kids Act
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is requesting $4.537 billion from the general fund–state (GFS) for 2025–27. That would be an increase of $1.206 billion (36.2%) over enacted 2023–25 appropriations. The carry-forward level would decrease by $102.7 million, the maintenance level would increase by $1.057 billion, and the policy level would increase by […]
October 25 , 2024 - Emily Makings
K–12 budget request would increase spending by $3.972 billion (and potentially increase classified staff salary allocations above teacher salary allocations)
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is requesting an increase of $3.972 billion to its general fund–state (GFS) budget for 2025–27. If the proposals are adopted by the Legislature, GFS appropriations for public schools would increase by 13.6%, to $33.139 billion. (See the box at the bottom of this post for budget and […]
October 25 , 2024 - Emily Makings
OFM on the projected budget shortfall
Earlier this week we published two reports on the upcoming 2025–27 operating budget. In the first, we estimated that the state is facing a $5.1 billion shortfall for the biennium. That estimate incorporates the current revenue forecast, carry-forward level spending (the biennialized cost of enacted appropriations, calculated by the Office of Financial Management [OFM]), estimated […]