Blog

Paid family and medical leave actuarial report recommends changing the premium rate formula again

In response to the cash deficits in the paid family and medical leave (PFML) program, the Legislature acted in 2022 to require the Employment Security Department (ESD) to produce an annual actuarial report on the program’s financial condition. The report must include estimates of the “lowest future premium rates necessary to maintain solvency of the […]

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% […]

Paid family and medical leave premium rate will decrease from 0.8% to 0.74% in 2024

During today’s meeting of the paid family and medical leave (PFML) advisory committee, the Employment Security Department (ESD) announced that the PFML premium rate for 2024 will be 0.74%. (Employees will be statutorily responsible for 71.43% of the premium and employers will be responsible for 28.57%.) The family and medical leave insurance (FMLI) account went […]

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 […]

Seattle’s general fund and payroll expense tax revenue forecasts have increased since August

Yesterday Seattle’s Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts (OERF) presented the city’s October revenue forecast for the general fund and several other revenue streams that go to dedicated accounts (including the payroll expense tax). For the city’s general fund, the forecast estimates that revenues will decline in 2023 and 2024 (year over year). However, that […]

Value of agricultural production in Washington reached a record high in 2022

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the value of agricultural production in Washington in 2022 was $12.776 billion, an increase of 26.8% over 2021. Adjusted for inflation, the year-over-year increase was 19.8%. This is a record high for Washington, even adjusted for inflation. Although apples are still by far the most valuable commodity in […]

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 […]