OLYMPIA, Wash. – Governor Inslee has ordered a hiring freeze and other spending restrictions at state agencies.
Inslee issued a directive halting most hiring and signing of personal services contracts and purchasing of equipment as the state faces billions of dollars in revenue loss due to the coronavirus crisis.
And the state’s budget office sent a letter to state agencies telling them to find ways to cut 15 percent from their current budgets.
The freeze takes effect on May 18, and has several exemptions, including positions, contracts or purchasing related to public safety, revenue-generating activities, or those related to health and welfare activities of state government.