The Committee
The state General Fund budget and five related funds subject to a spending limit defined in RCW 43.135: State Expenditures Limitations.
The Expenditure Limit Committee was established in 2000 for the purpose of determining and adjusting the state expenditure limit. The members of the Expenditure Limit Committee are
- The Director of the Office of Financial Management
- The Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee
- The chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee
- The chair of the House Appropriations Committee
- The ranking minority member of the Senate Ways & Means Committee
- The ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee
The spending limit applies to the State General Fund, the Health Services Account, the Student Achievement Fund, the Water Quality Account, the Public Safety and Education Account (including the Equal Justice Subaccount), and the Violence Reduction and Drug Enforcement Account. Each November, the Expenditure Limit Committee adjusts the limit for the previous and current fiscal year, and projects a limit for the following two years. Generally speaking, the expenditure limit is the actual spending level from the prior year multiplied by the fiscal growth factor, plus or minus any adjustments required by statute. The fiscal growth factor is the average growth in state personal income for the prior ten fiscal years.
November 2007 Meeting Materials
- 2007 Presentation (pdf)
- Detail of Adjustments to the Initiative 601 Expenditure Limit (pdf)
- Minutes, November 2007 (pdf)
- 2007 Ballot Measures Affecting the Expenditure Limit (pdf)
| Spending Limits November 30, 2007 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Year | Spending Limit | |
| FY 2007* | $14,154.1 million | |
| FY 2008** | $16,002.1 million | |
| FY 2009** (Preliminary) | $16,839.0 million | |
| Total 2007-09 Biennium | $32,841.0 million | |
| FY 2010*** (Preliminary) | $17,746.6 million | |
| FY 2011**** (Unofficial) | $18,660.5 million | |
| Total 2009-11 Biennium | $36,407.1 million | |
Note: Totals may not tie due to rounding. | ||
Fiscal Growth Factors
Section 8 of Initiative 601 requires that any percentage increase in fees that exceeds the fiscal growth factor must be approved by the Legislature. These factors are also used in the calculation of the spending limit.
Beginning with the 2007-09 biennium, the fiscal growth factor is the average growth in state personal income for the prior ten fiscal years.
Through the 2005-07 biennium, the fiscal growth factor was calculated as a three year moving average of population growth and inflation, lagged two years. Inflation was based on the "Implicit Price Deflator for Personal Consumption" as estimated by the federal Department of Commerce. Population growth was based on estimates by the state Office of Financial Management.
Fiscal Growth Factors
| Fiscal Year | Fiscal Growth Factor | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FY 1994 | 7.18% | |
| FY 1995 | 6.21% | |
| FY 1996 | 5.13% | |
| FY 1997 | 4.45% | |
| FY 1998 | 4.05% | |
| FY 1999 | 4.18% | |
| FY 2000 | 3.32% | |
| FY 2001 | 2.87% | |
| FY 2002 | 2.79% | |
| FY 2003 | 3.29% | |
| FY 2004 | 3.20% | |
| FY 2005 | 3.03% | |
| FY 2006 | 2.82% | |
| FY 2007 | 3.38% | |
| FY 2008 | 5.53% | |
| FY 2009 | 5.57% | Final |
| FY 2010 | 5.39% | Preliminary |
| FY 2011 | 5.15% | Unofficial |
