OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has released a nearly $62 billion supplemental state budget plan that looks to increase spending on efforts related to homelessness, climate change and salmon recovery.
In his supplemental budget proposal for 2022, Inslee unveiled plans Thursday for more than $4 billion in requests for increased spending.
The Democratic governor spent most of the week unveiling his priorities, which include a plan to offer rebates for new and used electric vehicles, setting new standards for salmon habitat protection and conservation efforts, and increasing permanent supportive housing and permanent affordable housing units to serve a variety of unhoused populations.
Budget Director David Schumacher said since lawmakers passed a two-year budget in the spring, the state's economy has improved faster than expected, and the state received more than $10 billion in federal assistance.
Schumacher said Inslee wants to reinvest that money in the state.
No tax increases are included in the proposal, which builds off of the $59 billion plan adopted earlier this year.
The largest increase calls for more than $900 million to go towards K-12 schools, some of the funding would help hire additional nurses, counselors, and social workers, said Schumacher.
According to Schumacher, Inslee is also proposing to put $600 million into the state’s “Rainy Day Fund,” a savings account used for emergencies.
The state's ferry system would receive an additional $400 million to build two electric ferries and to assist with staffing shortages, said Schumacher.