If the second legislative special session fails to pass a budget the state must have a plan since there is no course of action outlined in the constitution.

Gov. Jay Inslee's office released details from the Office of Financial Management (OFM) on what the state could do if the two-year plan expires.

Some government programs, such as transportation, are not part of the overall two-year biennium package. But numerous other state agencies and programs depend upon knowing what the financial status.

The OFM released the following information as part of their contingency plan Thursday:

OFM has reviewed all of the agency responses. The attached spreadsheet summarizes, by agency, OFM’s determinations about which activities appropriately fall in the following categories:
1. Services funded by appropriations in the enacted transportation budget (ESSB 5024).
2. Services that do not require an appropriation, e.g., from non-appropriated funds.
3. Services to continue based on certain constitutional mandates and federal law.
4. Services that are necessary for the immediate response to issues of public safety, or to avoid catastrophic loss of state property.

The office has created plans of how to deal with a lack of a budget in case nothing is passed.  The release also went on to say:

We are optimistic that a budget agreement will soon be reached and that these contingency plans will not need to be implemented. But it is only prudent that we prepare for the worst-case scenario."

 

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