Dear friends and neighbors,
Yesterday, House Democrats rolled out our 2023-2025 state operating budget proposal, the Resilient Washington Budget.
Over the last few years we’ve set a new standard for investing in families across our state, with a focus on those disproportionally impacted by the pandemic or who have historically faced barriers to opportunities.
We’ve leveraged federal funds to expand food assistance, cash assistance, and housing programs to keep people housed and fed. We’ve increased access to childcare and post-secondary education to help address workforce development and retention. We’ve set ourselves up for a more equitable future.
In this budget we’re continuing that work, being strategic with our spending so we can maintain critical programs even as federal funding goes away. We know that people across our state are feeling the economic impacts of inflation, and many are still feeling the impacts of COVID-19. That’s why we focused on resilience. It’s not just about weathering tough times, it’s about knowing that we have your back.
This proposal makes significant investments in K-12 education, housing, workforce development, poverty reduction, and much more. It does all this with a focus on racial equity, something you’ll see woven throughout the Resilient Washington Budget. I’ve got some details about the budget below, but if you want to read more about the Resilient Washington Budget you can do that here, or head to fiscal.wa.gov for details.
K-12 Education: Education, particularly special education, is a top priority this year. With $1.9 billion in new funding, we are investing in students, educators, and schools. Our budget proposal:
- Provides funding for inflation adjustment and health care cost increase for educators – $570 million
- Increases funding for supports for special education students- $179 million
- Expands funding for access to free meals for students- $85 million
- Increases funding for dual language grants – $10 million
Homelessness and Housing: House Democrats believe that we must invest more in housing and homelessness. From working to right the wrongs of the past by providing assistance for first time homebuyers who hold identities that have historically experienced housing discrimination, to increasing funding for housing and homelessness assistance, we are moving forward on supportive housing and homeownership. Our budget proposal:
- Continues funding for emergency housing and rental assistance – $175 million
- Funds the covenant home ownership program which helps communities that have historically experienced housing discrimination buy a home – $150 million
- Allocates additional funds for encampment response and outreach – $60 million
- Increases funding for Housing and Essential Needs – $27 million
- Expands funding for children and youth homelessness – $28 million
Public Health and Health Care: We saw in the pandemic how undocumented immigrants were disproportionately impacted by lack of health care access. Up to one-third of our uninsured residents are undocumented adults. House Democrats are expanding health care access and Cascade Care subsidies to those individuals and families so they can get appropriate medical care. We also must stabilize our health care delivery system including hospitals, family practice, and pediatric providers. And because Democrats believe we must protect the right to abortion and gender-affirming care, we’re adding funding for providers to meet the demand caused by the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling. Our budget proposal:
- Provides funding for health equity for undocumented adults – $99 million
- Increases rates for health care workers including primary care and pediatricians – $68 million
- Funds Cascade Care for individuals with lower incomes who are not Medicaid eligible – $25 million
- Maintains our commitment to public health with $362 million in new funding
- Provides funding for reproductive health services – $17 million
College and Workforce Investments: House Democrats are ensuring everyone has the support they need to get a degree or credential, whether you’re an individual with low-income, the first in your family to go to college, or a parent returning to school. Investing in the people of our state helps everyone thrive and grows our workforce for the future. In addition to expanding higher education support with $795 million in compensation, our budget proposal:
- Increases workforce development and opportunity at Community and Technical Colleges – $67 million
- Funds health care workforce and training – $45 million
- Provides funding to expand Washington College Grant – $20 million
- Funds student basic needs to make sure students have the support they need to get a degree or credential – $9 million
- Increases funding for high demand enrollments – $7 million