Blog

Value of agricultural production in Washington declines in 2021 (when adjusted for inflation)

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the value of agricultural production in Washington was $10.233 billion in 2021. In nominal terms, that’s just barely up from $10.213 billion in 2020. Adjusted for inflation, the value dropped by 3.5% in 2021. From 2011 to 2021, the value of Washington’s agricultural production increased by 7.8%. […]

K–12 budget request includes major staff compensation increases, elimination of the special education funding cap

For 2023–25, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is asking for a $6.565 billion increase to its general fund–state (GFS) budget. This would be an increase of 25.3% over 2021–23. (Adjusted for inflation, the increase would be 18.7%. That’s on par with spending increases made in response to the McCleary decision on school […]

October report on state tax collections: revenues for the month exceeded forecast by $126 million

On Friday the state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) issued its monthly report on general fund revenue collections. This report covers payments received between September 11 and October 10 for the sales tax, the use tax, the business and occupation tax, the public utility tax, the tobacco products tax, and penalties and interest (collectively […]

Collective bargaining agreements with state and non-state employees would increase general fund–state spending by $2.893 billion over four years

The state negotiates collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with general government employees, community college employees, certain law enforcement employees, and ferry employees. It also negotiates CBAs with certain non-state employees, and it negotiates with K–12 school employees over health care benefits. At a work session of the Joint Committee on Employment Relations last week, the Office […]

Social Security contribution base will increase by 9.0% next year, increasing the wages subject to Washington’s paid family and medical leave premiums

Yesterday the Social Security Administration announced that the amount of wages subject to the Social Security tax will increase from $147,000 in 2022 to $160,200 in 2023. The 9.0% increase in the contribution base is the largest since 1983. In Washington, paid family and medical leave (PFML) premiums are assessed on wages up to the […]

For 2023–25, the Department of Commerce asks to nearly double the substantial GFS budget step-up it received this biennium

The Department of Commerce, like the Department of Health, received extraordinary amounts of federal relief over the past few biennia related to the pandemic. For example, Commerce is the state agency responsible for distributing pandemic rental and business assistance. General fund–state (GFS) appropriations for Commerce in 2021–23 increased by 249.3% over 2019–21. Now, Commerce is […]

Department of Health asks for a 325.5% increase to its general fund–state budget

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH) has been the recipient of an unusually large amount of federal funds in 2019–21 and 2021–23. (In the chart below, federal funds are included as part of “all funds.”) Meanwhile, general fund–state (GFS) spending for DOH increased by 23.1% in 2019–21 and 35.7% in 2021–23. The […]

Should the working families tax credit be treated as an appropriation or a revenue reduction?

The Department of Revenue (DOR) is one of just 10 agencies that have requested smaller general fund–state (GFS) budgets for 2023–25 than 2021–23. It is asking for a GFS budget reduction of $290.4 million (by far the largest reduction among the agencies). This is due to DOR’s request for a technical correction to the accounting […]

The full cost of the Fair Start for Kids Act begins to come into focus

[Updated 10/12/22] The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has proposed a 2023–25 budget that would increase its general fund–state (GFS) spending by $1.270 billion (57.3%). The increase represents 8.1% of total GFS requests made by agencies. Only public schools and the Department of Social and Health Services requested larger increases in GFS spending—and […]

Agency budget requests for 2023–25 would increase spending substantially

Most state agencies have now submitted their 2023–25 operating budget requests to the Office of Financial Management (OFM). If the requests were adopted as is by the Legislature, they would increase general fund–state (GFS) spending by 28.5% over 2021–23. (For context, the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council estimates that GFS revenues will increase by 3.4% […]