State agencies told to prepare for up to $1.7 billion in cuts
The continued economic slump brought more bad news for state government this morning, as Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered agencies to prepare for another round of budget cuts next year of up to 10 percent, or $1.7 billion.
That would be on top of the $4 billion in recession-driven cuts that lawmakers agreed to when they approved the two-year budget in May.
The memo from Gregoire's budget director, Marty Brown, cited the weakened economic outlook since the session ended.