Most agencies have submitted budget requests for the 2025–27 biennium to the Office of Financial Management (OFM). Many have also submitted requests for the 2025 supplemental to the 2023–25 budget. (The numbers in this post are in terms of funds subject to the outlook unless otherwise noted.)

The requests provide early estimates of the maintenance level for 2025–27. The estimates are incomplete and will be adjusted over time. (There are two more caseload forecasts before the Legislature adopts a 2025–27 budget next year.) Additionally, the agencies aren’t consistent as to how they estimate the maintenance level. For example, some agencies use the June caseload forecast and others include only placeholders until the November forecast.

That said, the requests for the 2025 supplemental would increase the maintenance level by $305 million in 2023–25 and by $567 million in 2025–27. The requests for 2025–27 would increase the maintenance level by $3.779 billion in 2025–27 and by $4.021 billion in 2027–29. Altogether, the maintenance level for 2025–27 (including OFM’s calculation of the carry-forward level) would increase by an estimated 6.7% over enacted 2023–25 appropriations. (See the box at the bottom of this post for definitions of budget terminology.)

Given that, the cost of maintaining current services in 2025–27 is estimated to exceed revenues, as we showed in our recent policy brief on the projected $5.1 billion operating budget shortfall.

Nevertheless, the agencies have also requested increases in new policies of $136 million in the 2025 supplemental (which would cost $83 million in 2025–27) and $6.756 billion for 2025–27 (which would cost $9.417 billion in 2027–29).

If the Legislature were to adopt all the new maintenance and policy requests, 2025–27 appropriations would exceed 2023–25 enacted appropriations by 15.3%. (NGFO revenues are currently forecasted to increase by 7.7% from 2023–25 to 2025–27.) Typically, however, the Legislature ultimately appropriates less than agencies request.

The Office of Public Instruction is asking for the biggest funding increase, followed by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). I’ll write about notable agency requests in future posts.