Yesterday the chair and ranking member of the House Capital Budget Committee released their proposed capital budget for 2021–23. The House and Senate Transportation Committee chairs released their proposed transportation budgets on Monday. The three budgets would make use of federal funding that is expected to come to Washington from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

For the capital budget, the House proposal would appropriate $189 million from the state capital projects fund (part of the ARP Act) “to carry out critical capital projects directly enabling work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease.” Additionally, the proposal would use $400.0 million from Washington’s share of the state fiscal recovery fund:

• $197.0 million for public works assistance account construction,
• $113.0 million for infrastructure projects,
• $35.0 million for affordable housing development connections grants,
• $30.0 million for Community Economic Revitalization Board capital construction, and
• $25.0 million for public works board broadband infrastructure.

(In total, Washington is expected to receive $4.253 billion from the state fiscal recovery fund. Most of that will likely be appropriated in the operating budget.)

The House Transportation chair’s proposal notes,

The recent enactment of the federal American Rescue Plan, along with earlier federal relief packages, will provide over $1 billion to the state for transportation purposes. A portion of the funds will be used to backfill accounts that supported services affected by COVID-19 pandemic-related revenue losses, a portion will be used to address ferry operating needs, and a portion of the funding will be used to address fish passage barrier removals.

The House Transportation chair’s 2021 supplemental proposal would appropriate $315.9 million from the Washington’s share of the state fiscal recovery fund (the COVID fiscal recovery account) to backfill FY 2020 revenue losses in the state transportation accounts. The House chair’s 2021–23 proposal would appropriate another $144.1 million from the COVID fiscal recovery account to backfill FY 2021 revenue losses. Finally, the House chair would appropriate $340.0 million from the account in 2021–23 for “capital projects that increase highway capacity, reduce congestion, increase mobility, and prevent collisions.”

The Senate Transportation chair’s 2021–23 proposal would use $600.0 million from the COVID fiscal recovery account to backfill transportation account revenue losses and $400.0 million for fish passage barrier removal. Additionally, using state funds from the federal relief bill passed in December, the Senate chair would appropriate $142.9 million for fish passage barrier removal and $124 million to offset a ferry fare revenue shortfall.