From cricket to tire clean-up: What WA’s supplemental capital budgets would fund
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- The Washington House and Senate have released supplemental capital budget proposals.
- Proposals allocate funds to schools, housing, climate projects, and flood response.
- Lawmakers will negotiate a final bipartisan package before March 12, 2026.
In supplemental proposals released by Washington state’s capital budget writers, many local projects — including the clean-up of a gargantuan tire pile in the Tri-Cities — are getting some love.
The state’s capital budget covers the maintenance and purchase of state buildings, parks, public schools and lands, and more. Both legislative chambers recently released their ideas for the supplemental capital budget, which makes adjustments to the 2025-27 capital budget.
The House Democratic Caucus issued a Feb. 23 news release saying its $910 million budget pitch would create jobs and build infrastructure, plus invest in education and housing.
Big moments in the House’s proposal include, per the release:
- $78 million in funding for public school construction
- $221 million more invested in housing and homelessness-related projects
- Climate Commitment Act projects including $11 million for salmon recovery, $72 million for habitat conservation and restoration, $284 million for decarbonization and clean energy, among others
The Senate, meanwhile, also unveiled its $723 million plan, with a news release emphasizing $20 million for irrigation infrastructure, leak prevention and sealing in reservoirs and canals, fish passage, and more water-conservation aims. Another $50 million would benefit flood preparedness and recovery.
Then there’s $150 million for affordable-housing construction, “which ensures the largest ever biennial investment in housing and homelessness,” according to the Senate’s Feb. 23 release. It also features $93.6 million for K-12 public schools. That includes $71 million for “modernization of school buildings for small districts and tribal compact schools.”
After both budgets are voted out of their respective chambers, lawmakers will come together to negotiate one final package.
Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, a Tacoma Democrat, heads the upper chamber’s capital budget-writing process. She said in an interview that their proposal’s flood-recovery funding was meant to address much of the recent flooding that occurred on the west side of the state, including individual aid for those hit by the disaster and help with home recovery.
One big project that’s sure to get some attention: clean-up for a tire pile, which Trudeau called a “massive environmental disaster,” in Richland. Trudeau said tires contain 6ppd — a chemical used to prevent tire degradation, but one that’s also harmful to fish and the environment. The House’s version also includes more than $3 million for the infamous pile described by The Tri-City Herald as the “largest accumulation of discarded tires” in the state.
In Olympia, Trudeau said the capital budget would help with an expansion for TVW, Washington state’s public affairs network.
“In Tacoma, we’re bringing cricket to the region,” she said, noting the Senate’s $2.5 million new appropriation for the Seattle Orcas Cricket Community Park in the 27th Legislative District.
Trudeau explained that the capital budget is through-and-through bipartisan. She said she shares a goal with its Republican ranking member: to ensure that infrastructure touches every community across the state.
“Different communities need different things, but everybody deserves something,” Trudeau said.
Rep. Mike Steele, ranking member of the House Capital Budget Committee, said in a Feb. 23 news release that this budget illustrates each year that bipartisan cooperation is possible.
“We focused on projects that are ready to move forward, protect public safety, and deliver long-term value for communities across Washington,” the Chelan Republican said.
The House committee’s proposal includes $1 million for the Whatcom County Fire District 1 station replacement and, in Olympia, millions in funding for the Capitol Lake Deschutes Estuary Project, according to the state fiscal website.
Look up other local projects by legislative district by visiting each chamber’s supplemental capital budget project list online.
March 12 is the final day of the 2026 session.
This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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