Gov. Gregoire's Statement on the State's Revenue Forecast

Statement

Gov. Chris Gregoire today issued the following statement on the state's revenue forecast, which shows projected General Fund revenue for the 2011--13 biennium up by $96 million:

"Since the start of the national recession in late 2007, 27 of 32 forecasts spanning three biennia have been negative. When I put out my budget last November, the inaction in Congress, the European debt crisis and low consumer confidence all presented a negative financial picture. Today's modest uptick in revenue, the first in this biennium, combined with last week's caseload forecast has improved our financial outlook.

"This welcome news may allow the Legislature to find a solution to our budget in Olympia and with it I ask the Legislature to send me a budget that prioritizes our kids in early learning, K-12, and higher education. We're not out of the woods yet and solving the budget problem remains a significant and daunting task. I will continue to work with the Legislature on a budget that gets us through these times and puts us on a sustainable economic path for the future."

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