WA Senate praises bipartisanship after unanimously passing $7.3B capital budget

The Washington Senate unanimously passed a capital budget proposal for 2025-27, totaling $7.3 billion.

The Senate approved its capital budget on a 47-0 bipartisan vote. The House of Representatives is currently working to pass its own version of the budget.

“The capital budget has a reputation for being the most bipartisan of the three state budgets, and now I know why,” Senator Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said ahead of the budget vote, according to The Center Square. “We placed a lot of trust in one another in the course of developing this—each of us tried to be responsive to what the others brought to the table. That shows through in the budget itself and today’s unanimous vote.”

The budget allocates $1.2 billion for projects within Washington-based colleges and universities, including $400 million for various projects at community and technical colleges. Another $1 billion is set for K-12 education programs, including $563 million for the School Construction Assistance Program.

Approximately $770 million in the proposed capital budget would be spread out for various housing programs, while $85 million would be dedicated to operations and improvements for 15 fish hatcheries.

“We also focused on funding the core government responsibilities that might not have powerful political backers or big ribbon cuttings,” Senator Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, said in a news release obtained by The Center Square. “This truly is a One Washington budget, and I am so grateful for the bipartisan team I had building it with me.”

The House of Representatives is currently mulling over its $7.6 billion version of the capital budget. Once that’s finalized, a budget committee will attempt to bridge the two budget proposals before it can be finalized by Governor Bob Ferguson.

Gov. Ferguson rejected earlier capital budget proposals

Earlier this month, Ferguson rejected operating budget proposals from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, claiming both contained too many taxes.

“We need to accept the reality that we are in the midst of unprecedented times with a federal government that is intent on making significant cuts, no matter the resulting harm to Americans,” Ferguson said when explaining why he rejected the earlier budget proposals. “This is a five-alarm fire, and I intend to treat it that way.”

The 105-day legislative session ends on April 27. It remains to be seen if a special session will be needed to find a resolution. State Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, claimed there is a multi-billion-dollar chasm between what Ferguson wants and what lawmakers produced, according to The Olympian.

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