Priorities

After his remarks at the legislative preview January 9, 2025, Governor-elect Ferguson discussed and released his budget priorities. Please click this link to view the governor-elect's priorities.

Summary of Priorities

Governor-elect Ferguson will work with the Office of Financial Management and cabinet agencies to finalize details of his across-the-board reductions proposal and to provide his framework to legislative budget writers as they begin their work in the coming days. Ferguson will also ask legislators and state employees to use their expertise to identify opportunities for efficiency and cost savings.

New investments in public safety, housing, ferries, and affordability.

Ferguson is calling for approximately $800 million in new investments of general fund dollars over the next four years on the following priorities:

  • Public Safety: A $100 million per biennium grant program to increase the number of well-trained law enforcement officers in Washington state. It is not acceptable that we rank dead last in the country in law enforcement officers per capita. Ferguson also proposes $5 million to clear the backlog of approximately 15,000 cases at the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory. This backlog is delaying justice for cases across the state.
  • Housing: The housing crisis is impacting families in communities in every region of the state. We must build more than 1.1 million units of housing in the next 20 years to meet the anticipated growth and start to reduce the cost of housing. The budget proposal includes $600 million in the Capital Budget to build more housing across the state to reduce the cost of homes for Washington families.
  • Ferries: The budget priorities include support for Gov. Inslee’s proposal to invest nearly $20 million in the Transportation Budget to support crew recruitment and retention and increase service to island communities.
  • Affordability: Ferguson proposes $480 million to guarantee universal school lunches for every Washington student. He also proposes $100 million to expand child childcare eligibility for employees at small businesses. These proposals will improve student learning, reduce costs for thousands of Washington families, and support small businesses that fuel our economy.