As the legislative session in Olympia approaches its final weeks, focus has shifted to the state’s budgets.
Washington state operates on three budgets, each following a biennial cycle. During the “long” 16-week legislative session held in odd-numbered years, the Legislature establishes these budgets.
The three state budgets include the operating budget (significantly the largest, currently just below $70 billion for the upcoming biennial cycle); the transportation budget (whose size is more challenging to define, as it comprises approximately $12 billion of state taxpayer funds plus additional federal contributions); and the capital budget (roughly $8 billion for the two-year period). The specifics of these budgets will not be finalized until the session concludes, which is currently set for April 23.
Read Rep. Jim Walsh’s (R-19) full commentary
