SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5167
As of January 14, 2025
Title: An act relating to fiscal matters.
Brief Description: Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.
Sponsors: Senators Robinson and Nobles; by request of Office of Financial Management.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Ways & Means: 1/14/25.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Makes biennial operating budget appropriations for the 2025-27 fiscal biennium.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS
Staff: Samuel Brown (786-7470)
Background:

The operating expenses of state government and its agencies and programs are funded on a biennial basis by an omnibus operating budget adopted by the Legislature in odd-numbered years. State operating expenses are paid from the state general fund and from various dedicated funds and accounts.

Summary of Bill:

Biennial appropriations for the 2025-27 fiscal biennium for the various agencies and programs of the state are enacted, including appropriations for general government agencies, human services programs, natural resources agencies, and educational institutions.? Budget summary materials can be found in the Non-SCS tab in the committee materials for the public hearing.

Appropriation: The bill contains appropriations from various accounts.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

Please refer to the January 14, 2025 recording of the public hearing on the Senate Ways & Means Committee Schedules, Agendas & Documents website at https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules/#//WM/////year.

Persons Testifying:

K-12 Public Schools.  CON:  Janie White, Washington Education Association; Andrea Gamboa, Tukwila Education Association; Tyler Muench, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Trevor Greene, Yakima School District Superintendent; Monique Dugaw, ESD 112; John  Hannah, Morton School District; Melissa McCabe  Gombosky, Vancouver, Evergreen, Richland, and Spokane  Public Schools; Devin Gombosky, ESD 105 Schools Coalition; Rick Chisa, Public School Employees of Washington (PSE); Tim Eyman, Initiative Activist; Charlie Brown, Skills Centers Directors; Kathryn Kurtz, Pacific Education Institute; Mitch Denning, Alliance of Educational Associations.

OTHER:  Samuel Martin, School's Out Washington; Angela Steck, Washington State PTA; Henterson  Carlisle, Washington Center for High School Success; Dr. José Rivera, Grandview School District; Molly  Lawson, Washington Center for High School Success; Liz Trautman, Stand for Children Washington; Dawn Rains, Treehouse; Yokiko Hayashi-Saguil, College Success Foundation; James Dorsey, College Success Foundation; Casey Brown, Association of Washington Principals; Cortney Marabetta, AFT Washington; Ramona Hattendorf, The Arc of King County; Andrew Villeneuve, Northwest Progressive Institute; Paula Sardinas, FMS Global Strategies/WBBA.

Higher Education.  PRO:  Joel Anderson, Washington Student Achievement Council.

OTHER:  Steve DuPont, Central Washington University; Morgan Hickel, University of Washington; Jacob Vigdor, University of Washington Faculty; Stephen Bollens, Washington State University Faculty Senate; Chris Bailey, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; Chemene Crawford, Everett Community College, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; Nora Selander, Western Washington University; Jaeney Hoene, AFT-WA; Sandy Kaiser, The Evergreen State College; Chris Mulick, Washington State University; David Buri, Eastern Washington University.

Early Learning. PRO:  Aida Rodriguez, The Imagine Institute; Joel Ryan, WA State Association of Head Start & ECEAP; Emily Poncik, Family Connects Pierce County and Pierce County Early Chilhood Network.

CON:  Rachel Hall, Washington Communities for Children; Paula Sardinas, WBBA.

OTHER:  Emily Murphy, Child Care Aware of Washington.

Employee Compenstion.  PRO:  Miri Cypers, Anti-Defamation League Pacific Northwest Region; Nicole Gomez, Washington Federation of State Employees.

OTHER:  Seamus Petrie, Washington Public Employees Association; Peter Diedrick, WA State School Retirees' Association.

Mental Health.  PRO:  Rashi Gupta, UW Medicine.

OTHER:  Alison Price, Rural Resources Victim Services and Children's Advocacy Center; Anna  Nepomuceno, NAMI WA.

Human Services.  PRO:  Jim Theofelis, NorthStar Advocates; Jill  May, Washington Association for Children & Families; Angela  Youtsey, Washington Association for Children & Families; Dan Watt, Unified Care Systems; Zack Wester, Noble Healthcare; Aaron Dickson, Community Employment Alliance; Jacqueline Kinley, Unified Care Systems; Kris Camenzind, Hope Alliance; Sherrie Tinoco, WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Lynn Kimball, Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging; Jack Edgerton, KidVantage; Nikki Storms, Chehalis West Assisted Living; Glenna Wickett, Brookdale Senior Living; Todd Margeson, Brookdale Fairhaven; Blake Duarte; Aaron Czyzewski, Food Lifeline; Jane Pak, Snohomish County Legal Services; Cathy Murahashi, The Arc of Washington; Bradley Forbes, Alzheimer's Association; Leslie Emerick, WA Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Association (WAEMA); Lori Grassi, WA State Chiropractic Association; Cynthia Green, Catholic Community Services; Jessica Renner, Self Advocates in Leadership (SAIL).

CON:  Teresa Andree, Park Rose Care Center; Joany Schimmelfennig, Good Samaritan Health Care Center; Dieu Dinh, Hudson Bay Health and Rehab; Carol Ann Andrews, Olympic View Care; Lyle Lewin, Shelton Health and Rehabilitation Center; Marc Schneiderman, Frontier Rehabilitation and Extended Care Center; Mark von Walter; Steven Hughes, Regency at the Park Skilled Nursing Facility; Cara Boyer, Emerald City; Danielle Wallace; Tiffany Birrell, Highland Health and Rehabilitation of Cascadia; LEN MC COMB, WASHINGTON STATE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION.

OTHER:  Ashley  Dutton, Wonderland Child and Family Services; Melanie  Smith, WA State LTC Ombuds Program; Trish Dauer, Start Early Washington; Nicole Kern, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates; Michele Thomas; Samuel Martin, The Mockingbird Society; Charles Smith, The Mockingbird Society; Kim Justice, Partners for Our Children; Aaron Yared, Building Changes; Laurel Redden, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center; PAULA REED, Children's Advocacy Centers of Washington; Alyssa Odegaard, LeadingAge Washington; Melissa Johnson, Community Residential Services Association; Jessica Johnson; Hollianne Monson, Catholic Community Services; Nicholas Oakley, Center for Children & Youth Justice; Noah Seidel,  Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds; Shaun Cross, Maddie's Place; Jeff DeLuca, Washington State Community Action Partnership; Rob Huff; Anna Bondarenko, Thrive International; Nichole Alexander, Purpose Dignity Action (PDA); Carolanne Sanders Lundgren, Purpose Dignity Action (PDA); Malika Lamont, Purpose Dignity Action (PDA); Sam Scott, Snohomish County Legal Services; Scott Waller, WASAVP - Washington Association for Substance misuse and Violence Prevention; Benjamin Ramm; Ramona Hattendorf, The Arc of King County; Edward Pospisil, Unified Residential Care; katherine Young/Homen; Tim Sigler, Community Minded Enterprise.

Natural Resources.  PRO:  Altinay Karasapan; Scott Richards, The Nature Conservancy; John Floberg, Washington State Parks Foundation.

CON:  James King, Citizens for Parks and Recreation; Tom Davis, WA Forest Protection Association.

OTHER:  Michael Moran, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

All Other.  PRO:  Sara Robbins,  Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid; Larry Jefferson, Director, Washington State Office of Public Defense; Laurie Weidner, Retired Public Employees Council of WA; Melissa Johnson, District & Municipal Court Judges Association; Alex Hamasaki, American Heart Association; Roger Rogoff, Office of Independent Investigations; Christopher Stanley, Administrative Office of the Courts; Ramona Brandes, Washington Defender Association/Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

CON:  Max Martin, Association of Washington Business; Paula Sardinas, FMS Global Strategies/WBBA; Sai Samineni, Dream Investment Strategies Inc; Lyn Idahosa.

OTHER:  Nathan Koch, Washington Family Support Network; Candice Bock, Association of Washington Cities; Radu  Smintina, School's Out Washington; Steve Hobbs, Office of Secretary of State; Melissa Gombosky, Big Smiles Pediatric Dentistry; Mohamed Khalif, The International Medical Graduates Academy (TIMGA) ; Emma Scalzo, Balance Our Tax Code; Nancy Sapiro, Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.