Methodology

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation's Washington State Budget Spend-O-Meter project reflects the budgeted general fund spending of the Washington state government for the current biennium (July 1, 2005-June 30, 2007), based on a budget of $25.95 billion, or $411 per second, as accepted by Washington state legislature during the 59th legislative session and enacted by Gov. Christine Gregoire. The Spend-O-Meter calculates the amount spent since 12:00am on July 1, 2005.

The amounts above do not include local spending, including education spending derived from local tax sources, nor do they include federal funds that do not go through state agencies, such as Social Security, Medicare, agriculture subsidies, etc.

The Spend-O-Meter calculates the amount based on the viewer's desktop clock time. Viewers with incorrect time settings may see inaccurate numbers.