OLYMPIA—The Productivity Board, a state employee incentive program of the Office of the Secretary of State, voted unanimously on Feb. 27, 2025, to reward four state employees a cash award for their idea to generate revenue for the state.
A team at Washington’s Lottery Commission implemented a project to improve earnings on their municipal investment account. Their efforts resulted in an increase in interest earnings of 311%, which resulted in an additional $726,900 of interest income for the initial 8 months of implementation. The four team members will each receive cash awards of $2,725,88, and the changes they made will have ongoing impacts.
“Our state employees are always looking for new ideas to make our government works more financially efficient,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “It is great to see how they are committed to making government better for the people of Washington.”
The Productivity Board encourages all state employees to help save taxpayers’ money by offering up to $10,000 for a successful employee proposal to increase government efficiency. First created by the Legislature in 1982 and reinstated in 2023, the Productivity Board has saved the state millions of dollars.
About Secretary of State’s Office
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.
Source: Washington Secretary of State’s Office
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
