Budget Week in Olympia! 🧐📊

Dear friends and neighbors,

It’s budget week in Olympia! Many of you have reached out to me to share your top funding priorities for our community, and I’m working closely with my colleagues to ensure the final versions of these budgets reflect what you care about most.

Although some of the specifics may change as the budgets move through the legislative process, I want to share with you some of my top priorities that have been funded in the proposed House and/or Senate Operating and Capital budgets, and update you on the Move Ahead WA Transportation package which was voted out of the House Transportation Committee yesterday.

Supplemental Operating Budget — Supporting Students, Families & Communities

Washington’s operating budget is our state’s largest source of funding for many of the programs and services families rely on every day. These funds are invested directly back into our communities to support all those who call our state home.

In addition to the budget requests listed above, I’m also supporting and advocating for:

• $78M in funding for Washington’s frontline homeless service providers;
• $30M to strengthen the resettlement infrastructure for refugees who come to our state in search of a brighter future;
• $22M to expand Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) including a diaper subsidy: as Co-Chair of the House Democratic Moms’ Caucus, this is a KEY priority; and
• $125M to fund the creation of the Community Reinvestment Account: funding which the Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention can also leverage to address gun violence.

The proposed operating budget also includes:

K-12 Education: $808M 
Stabilizes school enrollment & transportation funding, provides additional school nurses & counselors, improves student nutrition, and increases the cap on WA’s Running Start program.

Homelessness & Housing: $364M 
Provides additional resources for utility & rent assistance, homeless provider stipends, and landlord mitigation.

Economic Development & Human Services: $628M 
Offers funding to support hospitality businesses hit hardest by the pandemic, allocates resources for small business disaster relief and recovery, creates a Labor Day Weekend sales tax holiday, and provides additional food assistance.

College and Workforce Development: $422M 
Creates a WA Student Loan program, provides funding for College and bridge grants, and increases funding for healthcare workforce & training programs to help fill the growing nursing shortage.

To view a summary of everything included in the proposed operating budget, click here.

Supplemental Capital Budget — Affordable Housing, Broadband, Early Learning & More

Washington’s capital budget generally provides funding support for buildings and physical infrastructure projects throughout the state. Those can include investments in affordable housing & shelter for families, broadband & water system upgrades, K-12 school improvements, and more.

This year, the proposed capital budget includes:

Affordable Housing and Behavioral Health: $615M
Provides funding for rapid acquisition of housing & shelter facilities, permanent supportive housing through Apple Health & Home, and behavioral health crisis stabilization grants.

Core Infrastructure and Economic Development: $390M 
Allocates resources for public works projects, robust new broadband internet infrastructure, port infrastructure projects, and significant water system improvements.

Early Learning and K-12: $117M 
Dedicates funding for seismic refits to our K-12 schools, early learning facility grants, and school modernization projects.

Climate Resiliency and Energy Efficiency: $57M 
Provides resources for weatherization and clean energy projects & testing

Climate Resiliency and Energy Efficiency: $57M 
Provides resources for weatherization and clean energy projects & testing

To view a summary of everything included in the proposed capital budget, click here.

Supplemental Transportation Budget — BIRT Infrastructure & North Aurora

The Legislature is also considering the 16-year Move Ahead WA transportation & infrastructure package aimed at preserving our infrastructure like bridges, ferries, and sidewalks; reducing carbon emissions and expanding options for safe, affordable options to get around; and addressing the harm caused by past transportation policies.

The package is the result of 90 listening sessions from communities across the state, and it aims to address the concerns and needs of every community in Washington. Here in the 36th legislative district, the Move Ahead WA package directs $25M to support the infrastructure of the Ballard Interbay Regional Transportation Corridor as well as $50M for safety improvements to North Aurora.

While I do not support every component of the package, I believe Move Ahead WA is a huge step in the right direction toward a cleaner and more equitable transportation system for our state.

For these reasons, I voted to support the Move Ahead WA package in the House Transportation Committee. You can read my full statement on the package by clicking here.

It is an honor to represent you in Olympia. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me anytime if I can be of assistance at liz.berry@leg.wa.gov.

Best wishes,

State Representative Liz Berry
36th Legislative District