Budget bills in WA Legislature would tap rainy day fund, spend heavily on legal payouts
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street and Bill Lucia] —Democrats in the Washington Legislature on Sunday proposed tapping the state’s rainy day savings account and slashing hundreds of millions of dollars for a child care program for low-income families to balance the state’s budget into next year. But under their plans, the state’s main operating account would have a more […]
What’s on the agenda for Washington’s 2026 legislative session
With a looming $1.6 billion to $2.3 billion budget shortfall hanging over the Washington state legislature, House and Senate leaders and Governor Bob Ferguson presented differing proposals to address the issue. Three panels of House and Senate leaders discussed the state’s transportation budget and general fund, while Ferguson renewed his support for a “millionaire tax.” […]
WA state budget gets $105M boost, Ferguson warns of “Deep Financial Challenges” still ahead
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Washington state budget writers got a mild dose of good news on Tuesday, but are still looking at a strained balance sheet. Revenue projections show collections up $105 million for the current two-year state budget compared to the last forecast in September. That amounts to a 0.1% increase, a change from previous reports […]
Ferguson rejects both House and Senate budgets, dismissing tax hikes and wealth tax
OLYMPIA—Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson said he will not be signing off on either House or Senate 2025-27 operating budget proposals during a press conference Tuesday, April 1, explaining he cannot stand by the tax hikes proposed, especially during a time of federal uncertainty. [Watch video of Ferguson budget presser at end of article]. “Hope […]
Washington House passes $78 billion state operating budget, Senate and governor to weigh in
The Washington state House passed its operating budget just after midnight on Tuesday, setting the stage for negotiations with the Senate and the governor on a spending blueprint to address a looming multi-billion-dollar shortfall. The House approved the two-year $77.8 billion operating budget on a 54-44 vote in which five Democrats joined all Republicans in opposition. The five Democrats who […]
