New brief: Biennial-Sized Spending in a Supplemental Year: Comparing the Senate- and House-Passed Budgets
The Senate- and House-passed supplemental operating budgets would spend almost all of the $13.8 billion surplus in funds subject to the outlook. Compared to the enacted 2021–23 biennial budget, appropriations would increase by 7.7% in the Senate-passed budget and by 10.6% in the House-passed budget. Compared to 2019–21, revised 2021–23 appropriations would increase by 23.3% […]
28th of February 2022
The Senate and House have passed their supplemental budget proposals; both would significantly increase spending
The Senate passed a supplemental operating budget on Friday, and the House passed one on Saturday. The 2021–23 biennial budget adopted last year appropriated $59.067 billion from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO). The Senate-passed budget would increase 2021–23 appropriations to $63.634 billion and the House-passed budget would increase them to $65.308 billion. Compared to […]
K–12’s share of the state spending would drop significantly under both the Senate and House budgets
As the state increased appropriations for schools in response to the McCleary decision on school funding, the share of the budget (in terms of funds subject to the outlook, or NGFO) going to public schools increased from 42.6% in 2009–11 to 51.6% in 2019–21. The share for public schools would drop significantly in the budgets […]
25th of February 2022
The proposed reserves in the House and Senate operating budget proposals are worryingly low
In a December policy brief, we proposed some general principles for legislators to follow as they dispose of a historically large surplus (which has grown since then). The first principle is to restore reserves. We suggested that not only should the Legislature return the funds needlessly swept from the budget stabilization account (BSA, or the […]
Appropriations Committee made only minor changes to proposed operating budget
On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved a supplemental operating budget that would increase 2021–23 appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $6.264 billion. That is net of new policy and maintenance level savings. Amendments in committee added $47.7 million in NGFO appropriations for 2021–23. A few notable amendments include: $947,000 to fund […]
The Senate supplemental proposal would spend down general federal relief money; the House would save about $1 billion of it
Billions of dollars in federal relief have flowed to Washington in response to the pandemic. Some of that is earmarked by federal legislation for specific purposes, but the coronavirus state fiscal relief fund (CSFRF) may be used broadly in response to the pandemic and its economic effects. The state of Washington received $4.428 billion from […]
24th of February 2022
Operating budget amended and approved by Ways & Means; the outlook now assumes 4.5% revenue growth in the second biennium
Yesterday the Senate Ways & Means Committee amended and approved the chair’s supplemental operating budget proposal. Compared to the chair’s proposal, adopted amendments would reduce appropriations from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $163.8 million in 2021–23 and increase NGFO appropriations by $880.5 million in 2023–25. Some notable amendments: In the enacted budget, the […]
An alternative budget proposal would provide general tax relief; Senate Democrats introduce a new B&O tax relief bill
On Monday, Rep. Stokesbary proposed a supplemental operating budget that offers quite the contrast to the proposals from the chairs of the Ways & Means and Appropriations committees. Rep. Stokesbary’s proposal would reduce revenues from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO) by $2.118 billion in 2021–23 and by $8.347 billion in 2023–25. That includes two […]
23rd of February 2022
Unemployment insurance, long-term care, and paid family and medical leave in the budget proposals
Unemployment insurance (UI), the long-term care (LTC) program, and the paid family and medical leave (PFML) program are all funded by payroll taxes. UI and PFML payroll taxes increased this year, and the LTC payroll tax briefly went into effect for the first time. There has been significant legislative action on all three this session, […]
Both the operating budget proposals would represent historically large increases in state spending
The 2022 supplemental operating budgets proposed by the Senate Ways & Means chair and the House Appropriations chair are quite unusual (if not unique) in that they each would spend more on new policy items than the enacted biennial budget did. Usually supplementals make only moderate changes. The enacted biennial budget added $3.324 billion in […]