Revenue forecast coming very soon.

The Governor said something today I’ve heard but hadn’t heard on the record: There will be a “proposed revenue forecast” in mid-February.

The quarterly revenue forecast was originally scheduled to be released March 19. But with session scheduled to end April 26, that leaves very little time for lawmakers to write and pass a budget.

So, according to Gov. Chris Gregoire, the Legislature and she agreed to ask for a preliminary report of sorts. She didn’t give an exact date, but said mid-February.

Gregoire said the report will be timed to the planned package of the federal stimulus plan: President Barack Obama wants a stimulus bill on his desk by the President’s Day break, she said.

Armed with 1) a preliminary guesstimate of the amount of revenue the state expects to collect and 2) a good idea of how much the state can expect to get from the federal government, they’ll be able to start writing the budget.

Tags: Budget