With state legislators still at an impasse over Washington’s budget, we’re unveiling a new interactive research tool that allows citizens, journalists, and students to easily examine how public dollars are being spent, and assess the impact of this year’s budget proposals on public schools and universities, hospitals, prisons, courts, health care, and other critical state services.
Visit the State of Working Washington to compare expenditures on budget items as broad as Public Education or as specific as the Department of Fish and Wildlife. For example: since 2009, state parks have lost 83% of their funding. Higher education now accounts for just 8.38% of the state budget – a loss of more than $650 million since 2002:
All charts and tables display both “real” (inflation-adjusted) budget numbers calculated by the Economic Opportunity Institute, alongside “nominal” (unadjusted) numbers provided by the Washington State Office of Fiscal Management.
More screenshots and examples from http://stateofworkingwa.org/budget:
More To Read
March 20, 2024
I-2111: The Income Tax Ban Is A Spectacle, but One We Can’t Ignore
A way to waste time, energy, and money, I-2111 is costing more than just taxes
March 20, 2024
Let’s Go Washington: Three initiatives threatening to roll back years of progress
Here’s what you need to know about the initiatives on your November ballot
March 12, 2024
Washington’s Women Are More Protected This Equal Pay Day
Thanks to an update to the state's wage discrimination protections, Washington woman are closer to closing the wage gap