Gov. Inslee’s supplemental operating budget proposal would increase 2023–25 appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $1.955 billion. Of that increase, $870.4 million is maintenance level (the cost of continuing current services, adjusted for inflation and enrollment) and $1.085 billion is new policy. The chart below shows how the new policy spending would be distributed among the budget areas.

Although new policies would reduce appropriations for the Dept. of Commerce on net, that is due to a funding shift. Currently, the operating budget includes $74.0 million for solar resilience hubs, $39.0 million for community solar, and $138.0 million for community electric vehicle charging. The governor’s proposal would shift these appropriations to the capital budget.

Other major policy changes in the operating budget proposal include:

• $140.9 million for the operation of Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health in Tukwila (adding 72 inpatient beds)
• $100.3 million for contempt fines in the Trueblood case
• $29.8 million for forensic beds at the state hospitals
• $106.9 million to restore program integrity savings that were not realized
• $94.6 million for the Dept. of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) for settlement payouts
• $18.5 million to phase out solitary confinement in state prisons by 90% over five years
• $30.2 million for the community eligibility provision program, which provides free school meals
• $17.1 million to increase the special education funding cap from 15% to 17.25%
• $64.4 million to increase paraeducator compensation by $3 per hour plus benefits for all paraeducators hired in SY 2022–23 (this is lower than had been requested by OSPI, but based on OSPI’s request, expect a big bow wave in 2025-27)
• $50.0 million for UW hospital support (based on the agency request, this money would mostly—if not entirely—go to the UW Medical Center, not Harborview)
• $20.0 million for the UW behavioral health teaching facility, which will operate 75 long-term beds