Budget

A new forensic hospital may crowd out other 2023–25 capital budget spending

Appropriations from all funds in the 2021–23 capital budget (as amended by the 2022 supplemental) are 54.7% higher than in 2019–21. That’s the largest increase in capital budget spending going back to at least the mid-1990s. Bonds make up a significant percentage of capital budget resources; thus, the capital budget is constrained by the constitutional […]

Compensation increases drive the community and technical college system’s budget request

The community and technical college system (CTCS) has requested a 2023–25 budget that would increase its general fund–state (GFS) spending by $622.9 million (39.5%). Compensation items account for 50.8% of the maintenance and policy level changes in the request. First, the request estimates that funding the Initiative 732 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the biennium would […]

K–12 budget request includes major staff compensation increases, elimination of the special education funding cap

For 2023–25, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is asking for a $6.565 billion increase to its general fund–state (GFS) budget. This would be an increase of 25.3% over 2021–23. (Adjusted for inflation, the increase would be 18.7%. That’s on par with spending increases made in response to the McCleary decision on school […]

For 2023–25, the Department of Commerce asks to nearly double the substantial GFS budget step-up it received this biennium

The Department of Commerce, like the Department of Health, received extraordinary amounts of federal relief over the past few biennia related to the pandemic. For example, Commerce is the state agency responsible for distributing pandemic rental and business assistance. General fund–state (GFS) appropriations for Commerce in 2021–23 increased by 249.3% over 2019–21. Now, Commerce is […]

Department of Health asks for a 325.5% increase to its general fund–state budget

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH) has been the recipient of an unusually large amount of federal funds in 2019–21 and 2021–23. (In the chart below, federal funds are included as part of “all funds.”) Meanwhile, general fund–state (GFS) spending for DOH increased by 23.1% in 2019–21 and 35.7% in 2021–23. The […]

Should the working families tax credit be treated as an appropriation or a revenue reduction?

The Department of Revenue (DOR) is one of just 10 agencies that have requested smaller general fund–state (GFS) budgets for 2023–25 than 2021–23. It is asking for a GFS budget reduction of $290.4 million (by far the largest reduction among the agencies). This is due to DOR’s request for a technical correction to the accounting […]

The full cost of the Fair Start for Kids Act begins to come into focus

[Updated 10/12/22] The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has proposed a 2023–25 budget that would increase its general fund–state (GFS) spending by $1.270 billion (57.3%). The increase represents 8.1% of total GFS requests made by agencies. Only public schools and the Department of Social and Health Services requested larger increases in GFS spending—and […]

Agency budget requests for 2023–25 would increase spending substantially

Most state agencies have now submitted their 2023–25 operating budget requests to the Office of Financial Management (OFM). If the requests were adopted as is by the Legislature, they would increase general fund–state (GFS) spending by 28.5% over 2021–23. (For context, the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council estimates that GFS revenues will increase by 3.4% […]