State Budget

Western submits operating budget requests to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Office of Financial Management (OFM). Biennial budgets are passed by the Legislature and approve by the Governor in odd-numbered years. In even-numbered years, state agencies can submit supplemental budget requests to adjust allocations for the second year of the biennial budget.  

New state funding can originate from university-initiated decision packages that are developed through Western's annual strategic budget process or from legislative initiatives. During the legislative session, bills scheduled for a hearing will be evaluated for fiscal impacts by OFM who gathers fiscal impact information from state agencies through requests for fiscal notes.  Western's fiscal note responses can be used as the basis for new funding allocations when a bill is passed.

In September 2022, Western submitted its 2023-25 Biennial Operating Budget Request to the state's Office of Fiscal Management for consideration during the 2023 budget cycle. The 2023 cycle and corresponding legislative session shape what becomes the state operating budget for the following two fiscal years (FY2024 and FY2025). There are three stages of development before the final operating budget is signed by the Governor, which goes into effect July 1, 2023.

• Governor's Budget Proposal - released December 14, 2022

• House Budget Proposal - TBD (released near the end of the legislative session)

• Senate Budget Proposal - TBD (released near the end of the legislative session)