The fiscal committees in the Washington State Legislature (House Finance, House Appropriations, and Senate Ways and Means) not only look at the financial components of bills that are assigned to their committees, but the Chairs also compile all that information into three biennial budgets: Operating, Capital, and Transportation. Budget bills travel through the legislative process just like all other bills, and this week the Operating and Transportation budget proposals were released. Public hearings were held on Tuesday the 25th of March so that the public could share their support for, or disapproval of, what was, or was not, included in the budget. In this 6 minute video, we turn to our ever popular Parliamentarian, Mike Hoover, to explain what exactly the three budgets are, including how the Legislature knows how much money they have to spend. To compare this year’s budget proposals, visit the Washington State Fiscal Information website. Stay tuned for next week’s video: Budgets 201, where we will explain, amongst other things, what a budget proviso is (and why they are important!).
Teach with TVW is a free online resource provided by TVW for Washington state social studies teachers to engage their students in state government and help to inspire active citizens.
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