Budget

How will Washington fund the proposed $50 million in aid for businesses?

When Gov. Inslee announced new restrictions on business and other activities yesterday, he also said that the state will provide some additional relief for businesses: To help mitigate financial impacts on businesses and their employees, the state will commit $50 million in aid. In the short term, the state is commuting $20 million be dedicated […]

After the election, what are the prospects for more federal aid?

For Governing Magazine, Alan Greenblatt writes that additional federal aid for state and local governments may not be forthcoming, as “President-elect Joe Biden most likely will be dealing with a Senate led by Republican Mitch McConnell.” At a post-election news conference, McConnell said there was a need for further federal aid, but he specified supporting […]

Will the state use the CRF to backfill the rainy day fund?

After a new batch of allocations, the state has about $363.9 million left of its share of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). As I briefly noted last week, according to the Office of Program Research (OPR), it’s possible the state could use some of the remainder to backfill the rainy day fund. EHB 2965 was […]

Increased residential and in-home provider rates are the second biggest use of the coronavirus relief funds so far

On Tuesday, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) made a new round of allocations from the state’s share of the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). First, there is $8.9 million for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families caseload impacts from policy changes that waived time limit and participation requirements. Second, there is $5.1 million for the […]

The state of Washington has $662.4 million left from federal Coronavirus Relief Fund—here’s where the money has gone so far

The federal CARES Act included the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), which distributed $2.953 billion for governments in Washington. The federal government made direct payments to the state, the city of Seattle, and King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane counties. The state government’s share was $2.167 billion. Since May, the state has been distributing the funds to […]

State support for businesses and the economy

Yesterday Gov. Inslee announced the formation of the Washington Recovery Group. This is “a new state effort to help communities recover from the social and economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.” It will be housed in the Office of Financial Management and “will help state agencies coordinate with local governments, higher education and the […]

$671.9 million is left of the state’s coronavirus relief fund share

The state of Washington has now allocated $1.495 billion of the $2.167 billion it received from the federal coronavirus relief fund (part of the CARES Act). Since my last post on the state’s allocations of this funding, the state has distributed additional funds to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the Employment […]

$11.9 million in disaster cash assistance distributed through July

The Economic Services Administration (part of the Department of Social and Health Services) runs the state’s Disaster Cash Assistance Program (DCAP). In declared emergencies, the program provides cash to people who “don’t have the money to meet their basic needs.” These are generally one-time funds, but this year, someone could qualify once if affected by […]

The state of Washington has $752.8 million of its coronavirus relief fund share left; city and county allocations announced

As we wait to see if Congress will increase coronavirus relief fund (CRF) appropriations for state and local governments, our state government is continuing to make allocations from its current CRF share. On Sept. 8, the Office of Financial Management allocated another $357.8 million. With these allocations, the state government has $752.8 million left. The […]

Still no word on additional federal relief funds for states

The U.S. Congress still hasn’t come to an agreement on a new coronavirus relief package. The Wall Street Journal reports that state and local funding remains a sticking point in negotiations. In May, the U.S. House passed a $3 trillion bill, which would give states $500 billion and local governments $375 billion that could be […]