The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on the Chair’s proposed 2019–21 operating budget on Monday, and this afternoon the committee will consider the proposal in executive session.

As I wrote on Monday, the proposal would increase spending from funds subject to the outlook by $8.150 billion over 2017–19. Of that, $5.834 billion is maintenance level (the cost of continuing current services) and $2.316 billion is new policy. The chart below shows how the proposed maintenance and policy level changes are distributed across budget areas.

In addition to those policy level changes, the proposal would spend $389.6 million from a new “workforce education investment account” for higher education and career connected learning programs (HB 2158). Although these funds would not be subject to the outlook, they would fund programs that would typically be funded through the general fund, so I’ve included them in the chart, in dark green. The biggest portion goes to higher education, but some funds also go to public schools, other human services, and governmental operations. Including these funds, the total proposed increase in spending is $8.540 billion.

The spending declines for the Department of Social and Health Services and other education are due to previously passed large program transfers from DSHS and the Department of Early Learning to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (in other human services).