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Office of the Secretary of State

  Annual FTEs General Fund State Other Funds Total Funds
  (Dollars in Thousands)
Estimated Expenditures 299.2 54,559 78,378 132,937
2021-23 Maintenance Level 284.9 48,319 65,041 113,360
Difference from 2019-21 (14.3) (6,240) (13,337) (19,577)
% Change from 2019-21 (4.8%) (11.4%) (17.0%) (14.7%)

2021-23 Policy Other Changes

LinkedIn Learning Opportunities 0.30 1,688 0 1,688
Prepare Archives Relocation 3.0 0 626 626
Digital Archives Modernization 0.0 0 771 771
Develop Closed Captioning (TVW) 0.0 160 0 160
VoteWA Support 4.0 1,092 0 1,092
Election Reconciliation Reporting 1.0 228 0 228
Humanities Washington 0.0 150 0 150
2021-23 Policy Other Changes Total 8.3 3,318 1,397 4,715

2021-23 Policy Comp Changes

Pension Adjustments, nonrate 0.0 14 26 40
State Employee Benefits 0.0 (26) (60) (86)
WFSE General Government 0.0 (147) (290) (437)
Temporary Layoffs and Other Savings 0.0 (621) (1,151) (1,772)
Rep Employee Health Benefits 0.0 (8) (15) (23)
Non-Rep General Wage Increase 0.0 (308) (178) (486)
2021-23 Policy Comp Changes Total 0.0 (1,096) (1,668) (2,764)

2021-23 Policy Central Services Changes

Archives/Records Management 0.0 2 4 6
Audit Services 0.0 (1) 0 (1)
Legal Services 0.0 (14) (20) (34)
CTS Central Services 0.0 198 288 486
DES Central Services 0.0 48 73 121
OFM Central Services 0.0 152 217 369
Self-Insurance Liability Premium 0.0 1 1 2
2021-23 Policy Central Services Changes Total 0.0 386 563 949
Total Policy Changes 8.3 2,608 292 2,900
2021-23 Policy Level 293.2 50,927 65,333 116,260
Difference from 2019-21 (6.0) (3,632) (13,045) (16,677)
% Change from 2019-21 (2.0%) (6.7%) (16.6%) (12.5%)

Policy Changes

LinkedIn Learning Opportunities

Microsoft LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that provides users with the skills to obtain high growth and high wage jobs. The program is available through public libraries and offers over 10,000 online courses that provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities in business leadership, information technology, communication and customer service. Funding is provided for this online platform, which provides library patrons the training and certificates necessary for jobs in a variety of industries. (General Fund - State)

Prepare Archives Relocation

In the enacted 2020 supplemental budget, the agency was provided resources to hire three project-level staff to begin the process of moving the state archival inventory and records to the new Library Archives Building. This is a multi-year project that entails preserving, tracking, and preparing to move 150,000 boxes of unique, irreplaceable records contained in the state's archival collections. Additional resources will allow the agency to continue this work through the 2021-23 biennium. (Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State)

Digital Archives Modernization

Members of the public benefit regularly from access to the state's archival records that can be found online. The Secretary of State's Office requires additional spending authority to implement important upgrades to its digital archives. This funding will allow the agency to continue ongoing replacement of selected hardware, extend current software licensing agreements, and increase online availability to its records so that State Archives can continue to fulfill its constitutional mandate. (Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State, Local Government Archives Account - State)

Develop Closed Captioning (TVW)

TVW produces between 7,000 to 7,500 hours of unique programming each year in Washington. Recently, the need for captioning on live television and web streaming programming has grown due to the regular and ongoing communications from Governor Inslee and state agency leaders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the inclusion of American Sign Language interpreters has been a helpful addition to broadcasts for individuals who are fully deaf, the ability to provide captioning for the hard-of-hearing community would provide services to more Washingtonians. This funding will enable TVW to pay for the ongoing maintenance costs of hardware and software necessary to provide machine-assisted captioning for mobile apps, social media, live television and web streaming programs. (General Fund - State)

VoteWA Support

VoteWA is the state's new centralized election management system and voter registration database that went live in January 2019. Funding provided for the contract with the vendor that created this system didn't include a database administrator or software development engineer tester services because this runs contrary to industry best practices and OCIO recommendations for a vendor to test its own code. The agency received one-time funding in the 2020 supplemental budget for a critical support team to provide system support to the counties, administer critical database upgrades, and ensure the system runs efficiently. Additional resources provided will ensure this critical support staff continues. (General Fund - State)

Election Reconciliation Reporting

The Secretary of State's Office is statutorily required to analyze and report critical election data after each election. To meet this statutorily required reporting, the agency requires one FTE to compare data and trends with state and national elections that will help stakeholders develop a better understanding of election administration and policy. Funding is provided for this purpose. (General Fund - State)

Humanities Washington

The Humanities Washington Speaker's Bureau delivers free and nonpartisan programs that are open to the public and provide widespread, equitable access to educational discussions on a variety of topics. Local organizations work with Humanities Washington to select speakers from a vetted roster of more than 30 scholars and cultural experts. Individuals in rural areas who live hours away from the nearest college or university benefit most from this program. The organization pays a stipend to speakers for their services, which are provided without charge to the public. One-time funding was provided for this program in the 2019-21 biennium; this investment is continued into the 2021-23 biennium and ongoing. (General Fund - State)

Pension Adjustments, nonrate

This funds the potential impact of Department of Retirement Systems request legislation on pension service credit and benefit calculation. It will prevent budget reductions such as temporary layoffs from negatively affecting employee retirement benefits. (WA State Library Operations Acct - State, Secretary of State's Revolving Acct - Non-Appropriated, General Fund - State, other funds)

State Employee Benefits

Health insurance funding is provided for state employees who are not represented by a union, who are covered by a bargaining agreement that is not subject to financial feasibility determination, or who are not part of the coalition of unions for health benefits. The insurance funding rate is $988 per employee per month for fiscal year 2022 and $1,018 per employee per month for fiscal year 2023. (Election Account - Federal, Wash State Legacy Proj, State Lib - Non-Appropriated, Local Government Archives Account - State, other funds)

WFSE General Government

This adjustment reflects the impact of the 2021-23 collective bargaining agreement. (Secretary of State's Revolving Acct - Non-Appropriated, Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State, Imaging Account - Non-Appropriated, other funds)

Temporary Layoffs and Other Savings

This item reflects savings achieved from temporary layoffs or similar actions. (Wash State Legacy Proj, State Lib - Non-Appropriated, Local Government Archives Account - State, Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State, other funds)

Rep Employee Health Benefits

This provides health insurance funding for the master agreement for employee benefits as part of a coalition of unions. The insurance funding rate is $988 per employee per month for fiscal year 2022 and $1,018 per employee per month for fiscal year 2023. (Imaging Account - Non-Appropriated, Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State, Local Government Archives Account - State, other funds)

Non-Rep General Wage Increase

This reflects savings from the cancellation of the July 1, 2020 general wage increase for some non-represented, non-classified employees. (Secretary of State's Revolving Acct - Non-Appropriated, Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State, Local Government Archives Account - State, other funds)

Archives/Records Management

Adjustments are made for each agency’s anticipated share of charges for archives and records management services provided by the Secretary of State’s Office. (Local Government Archives Account - State, General Fund - State, Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State, other funds)

Audit Services

Adjustments are made for each agency’s anticipated cost of audits performed by the State Auditor’s Office. (General Fund - State)

Legal Services

Adjustments are made for each agency’s anticipated cost of legal services provided by the Attorney General’s Office. Because legal services expenditures are based on consumption, funding provided in the central service model is not all inclusive. (Public Records Efficiency, Preserva - State, WA State Library Operations Acct - State, Local Government Archives Account - State, other funds)

CTS Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency’s anticipated share of charges for Microsoft 365 G5 licenses contracted for state agencies by the Consolidated Technology Services agency. This contract allows the state to achieve economies of scale and administrative efficiencies in the management of licenses. (General Fund - State, Secretary of State's Revolving Acct - Non-Appropriated, WA State Library Operations Acct - State, other funds)

DES Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency’s anticipated share of charges from the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) for campus rent, utilities, parking, and contracts; capital project surcharges; financing cost recovery; public and historic facilities; real estate services; risk management services; personnel service rates; the Perry Street child care center; small agency services; and the department’s enterprise applications. (General Fund - State, Local Government Archives Account - State, Secretary of State's Revolving Acct - Non-Appropriated, other funds)

OFM Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency’s anticipated share of charges for existing statewide financial applications, One Washington, and other central services provided by the Office of Financial Management. (Secretary of State's Revolving Acct - Non-Appropriated, WA State Library Operations Acct - State, General Fund - State, other funds)

Self-Insurance Liability Premium

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's share of actuarily projected costs of the Self-Insurance Liability Account. This includes adjustments to existing funding levels as well as enhancements for anticipated liabilities in the 2021-23 biennium. (Secretary of State's Revolving Acct - Non-Appropriated, General Fund - State)