The state revenue forecast is slated to come out on June 17th. The COVID-19 crisis has had far-reaching implications for Washington’s economy—and will certainly mean big changes in funding across all levels of government. But what does the state budget mean to ports, and what information could help ports better plan for possible negative budgetary impacts?

Scott Merriman, Legislative Liaison from the Office of Financial Management, provided his high-level view of the state budget, and what factors are likely in play if a special session were to convene. Washington state Representatives Steve Tharinger and Andrew Barkis both shared their perspectives on key legislative issues, and the role ports can play in helping turn around the economic downturn.

You can find the resources and presentations from today’s meeting, along with other important information, on our COVID-19 response page for ports: https://www.washingtonports.org/covid19

In today’s conversation:

·       A good news story about the capital budget from Rep. Tharinger

·       Scott Merriman’s one-pager on “Washington state’s budget problem”

·       Rep. Barkis’ take on ways ports could continue to ensure they are a part of the state-wide conversation for restarting the economy.

You can listen to the whole meeting here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rmckvdimwwa2qhj/2020-06-02_Roundtable_Zoom.mp4?dl=0

Do you have ideas for future topics we could cover in our Tuesday Roundtables? Email your ideas to Washington.ports@washingtonports.org