State Budget for the 2009-11 Biennium

In her January inaugural address, Governor Gregoire asked the Legislature to summon the courage and the spirit of sacrifice to confront the challenge of a generation, and that's exactly what they did.

The responsible budget recently approved by the Legislature contains significant pain and sacrifice for Washingtonians. In the weeks, months and years to come, Washingtonians will feel the impacts of the hard decisions we were required to make after our mortgage and financial markets set off the deep national recession in which we find ourselves.

Even those state programs and services left intact in this budget must adjust for significant reductions in “administrative” spending, which means there will be fewer people to deliver the services in their current forms.

We also prepared our state for a 21st century economy — especially in the monumental steps we took to build a transportation system that will create thousands of jobs and help us emerge stronger from this recession. What we did is truly monumental — not just for the most-populated part of this state but for Washington’s economic future as a whole. The Legislature also moved forward on a long-range strategy to revitalize the ferry service by constructing new vessels while keeping fares affordable.

This year is all about austerity and sacrifice, but equally, it's about wise and careful choices to ensure we come out of this recession strong. We appreciate your help as we work to ensure a solid foundation for our children and grandchildren.

More information is available on the Governor's Web site.