State proviso funds joint committee on budget transparency; Pew to staff early work

Board staff alerted members that the 2026 supplemental operating budget included a proviso creating a Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Budget Transparency and Fiscal Sustainability, intended to analyze revenue projections, statutory spending drivers, and public data tools.

The presenter said Pew Charitable Trusts will staff the group at no cost to the state and that phase 1 will deliver recommendations by December 2026 focused on revenue projection methods and statutory assumptions. Phase 2 will run through the next legislative session with final recommendations due Dec. 15, 2027, and will examine management, overhead, performance, and public reporting tools such as fiscal.wa.gov.

Board members welcomed the opportunity to contribute, with staff noting the Student Achievement Council has been recommended as an agency Pew should interview. No formal action was taken by the board on this item during the meeting.