Inslee Proposes Massive $62 Billion Supplemental State Budget

Governor Jay Inslee is unveiling his full, $62 billion proposed supplemental state budget for 2022.

The proposal is much larger than prior supplemental budgets, largely because of increased federal dollars combined with higher revenue forecasts for the state.

The budget would include over $28 billion for K-12 schools, more than $14 billion total for Social and Health Services and the Health Care Authority, and $325 million for new ferries.

Inslee is also proposing putting roughly $1.2 billion back into the state's rainy day fund.

Additionally, Inslee signed an executive order during Thursday's budget announcement requiring that the Washington State Department of Social Services chair a poverty reduction sub-cabinet.

"This sub-cabinet will help pinpoint system failures in addressing poverty." stated Inslee, "It will recommend further budget and policy proposals that implement economic incentives."

Some Washingtonians have been asking for the governor to consider spending the state's excess revenue in a different way to combat the impacts of recent inflation. Republican lawmakers in particular have been asking the governor for some sort of tax reduction, usually centering around the state's current sales tax rate.

Inslee said using the excess funds to cut taxes would permanently reduce the government's ability to service the needs of those in the state.

"I'm not sure in the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of a mental health crisis, in the middle of a homelessness crisis, in the middle of an educational crisis caused by our kids' learning loss during COVID, that it's really the right moment to be doing big tax cuts," continued Inslee.

Washington is currently tied for the 9th-highest state sales tax rate in the country at 6.5%.

Inslee full proposed supplemental budget for 2022 can be found here.