OLYMPIA, Wash.- All three major funding packages before the Washington legislature are moving quickly through both chambers.
The operating budget has passed both the House and Senate. Operating budgets comprise the backbone of day-to-day government functions.
When signed into law, it will appropriate $210 million in operating funds from state funds over the next year, and an additional $549 million in the next four years.
While the budget passed the Senate with support from both parties, the majority of House Republicans cast symbolic votes against the budget.
The capital budget, which funds construction and other infrastructure projects, awaits a vote on the House floor. It would fund $1.3 billion in capital projects. It passed the Senate with unanimous approval, and it is currently unclear whether House Republicans will offer a similar symbolic opposition to the policy as the operating budget.
The transportation budget is currently on the Senate floor calendar. It includes over $1 million to improve public transportation options in eastern Washington.
Because it is an even-numbered year, funding packages are supplemental and the legislature only meets for a short session. Next year the legislature will pass larger two-year operating, capital and transportation budgets.
