Chapter 14: Puget Sound Recovery & Salmon Strategy Requirements

Additional budget submittal and reporting requirements to OFM and Puget Sound Partnership. RCW 90.71.320 requires state agencies that are responsible for implementing elements of the Action Agenda to provide to the Partnership their estimates of the actions and budget resources needed for the forthcoming biennium to implement their portion of the Action Agenda. The statute also requires agencies to seek the concurrence of the Partnership in the proposed funding levels and sources included in this proposed budget.

Per section 309 of the 2025-27 enacted operating (ESSB 5167), “the Puget Sound partnership shall provide the governor and appropriate legislative fiscal committees a single, prioritized list of state agency 2027-29 capital and operating budget requests related to Puget Sound recovery and restoration” by October 15, 2026.

The Partnership will send detailed instructions to affected agencies by mid-July to submit Puget Sound-related budget requests, including the criteria the Partnership will use to prioritize requests. The Partnership expects agency submittals for the 2027-29 and 2029-31 biennia to align with the 2026 Action Agenda update, scheduled for adoption in June 2026. Agency staff responsible for Puget Sound coordination are familiar with the Action Agenda update and how it relates to agency priorities.

In accordance with RCW 90.71.320, and to facilitate the Partnership’s mandated budget request prioritization process, all agencies requesting budget changes related to Action Agenda implementation must provide information and engage with OFM and the Partnership as described below. These requirements apply to both operating decision packages and capital project requests.

Submittal to OFM

• In the Decision Package RecSum text (for operating) and agency summary (for capital), include the statement, “Related to Puget Sound Action Agenda implementation.”
• In the narrative justification, under “Other important connections or impacts” (for operating) and in the project description question #10, (for capital), provide a narrative description of how the request relates to Puget Sound recovery including:
  • Identify no more than three Action Agenda strategies that the budget request relates to and provide a brief narrative description of how the proposed work will advance the actions in the listed strategies.
  • If decision packages have multiple components, agencies should also specify if distinct parts of the request (dollar amounts, FTEs, objects of expenditure, etc.) are related to distinct aspects of Puget Sound recovery.
• Send an email with copies of all Puget Sound budget requests to OFM by the budget submittal due date. OFM contact information is provided later in this section.

Submittal to the Partnership

Agency submittals to the Partnership will include more information about connections to Puget Sound recovery than the information included in decision packages. In addition to the above submittal to OFM, the Partnership requires the following:

• Complete a cloud-based template (Smartsheet®) summarizing all your agency’s Puget Sound-related budget requests submitted to OFM for prioritization. This template will enable agencies to link budget requests to one or more aspects of Puget Sound recovery including Action Agenda strategies, actions, commitments, and program targets; Puget Sound salmon recovery plan strategies and actions; and Science Work Plan actions. The template will also provide agencies with methodologies and guidance to estimate the “Puget Sound portion” of statewide requests. The Partnership will email a link to the Smartsheet® template and instructions to affected agencies by mid-July.
• To ensure Puget Sound budget requests align with the Action Agenda, all agencies requesting operating and capital budget changes that implement the Action Agenda or affect Puget Sound recovery are required to consult with the Partnership prior to submitting their budget requests to OFM. Partnership staff will contact agencies to schedule meetings to discuss the budget process and proposed budget requests during the summer of 2026.

Action Agenda implementation of financial reporting requirements to the Partnership for Ongoing Programs. The Puget Sound Partnership engages with agencies responsible for administering ongoing programs recognized in the Action Agenda to provide budget information related to the inventory of recovery actions. The Partnership will contact agencies in early 2027 to provide information for final budgeted amounts for the previous (2025-27) biennium.

• Robb Krehbiel, Acting Planning Manager, Partnership
• Alex Mitchell, Adaptive Systems and Accountability Program, Partnership
• Katie Knight, OFM Budget Advisor, Operating
• Shelly Willhoite, OFM Budget Advisor, Capital

In 2021, the statewide salmon strategy (strategy) was updated to renew and strengthen the State’s commitment to salmon recovery. The updated strategy expands priorities to include climate resiliency, addresses known threats, honors commitments to tribes, and is broadly consistent with regional recovery plans. The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office (GSRO) is identified in statute (RCW 77.85.030) and in the strategy as the lead agency to maintain and implement the strategy.

Section 305(4) of the 2023-25 enacted operating budget (ESSB 5187) provided additional directions to implement the strategy to the GSRO by convening the natural resource subcabinet and developing a biennial workplan. The workplan is a summary of statewide priorities with a recommended budget for salmon recovery that aligns with tribal priorities and federally approved salmon recovery plans.

Submittal to the GSRO

The GSRO will send detailed instructions to agency subcabinet leads by mid-June for submitting salmon recovery related budget requests. Agency subcabinet leads will submit proposed budget requests to GSRO mid-July. GSRO staff will work with subcabinet leads to review and determine which proposals implement the strategy by mid-August.

The GSRO will use the following criteria to determine which agency requests are a near-term priority to implement the salmon strategy:

• Identified as a specific salmon strategy action
• Urgent in this coming biennium to advance salmon recovery
• Aligned with a known tribal priority
• Aligned with the federally approved salmon recovery plan

Submittal to OFM

Please confirm which budget requests have been determined to implement the strategy with the agency subcabinet lead before submitting to OFM. These requirements apply to operating, capital, and transportation budget requests. Agencies are encouraged to understand and ensure congruity with Tribal priorities for salmon recovery budget and policy requests.

Operating and Transportation Budget

• In the Decision Package RecSum text include the statement, “Related to implementing the Governor’s Salmon Strategy.”
• In the “Other collateral connections”, include an explanation of how the budget request relates to a salmon strategy action, is urgent in the coming biennium to advance salmon recovery, is aligned with a federally approved salmon recovery plan, and/or advances a known tribal priority.

Capital Budget

As identified in part 2, capital budget instructions, Chapters 2.4 and 3.8

• In the agency summary, include the statement, “Related to implementing the Governor’s Salmon Strategy.”
• In the project description, answer the identified Capital Budget System (CBS) questions and include an explanation of how the budget request relates to: a salmon strategy action, is urgent in the coming biennium to advance salmon recovery, is aligned with a federally approved salmon recovery plan, and/or advances a known tribal priority.

The GSRO will provide a summary of all Governor’s salmon strategy budget requests in the final work plan submitted to OFM by October 31, 2026.

• Erik Neatherlin, Executive Director, GSRO
• Katie Knight, OFM Budget Advisor, Operating
• Shelly Willhoite, OFM Budget Advisor, Capital

Governor’s Salmon Strategy Update and Puget Sound Action Agenda Connection

Some budget requests will implement both the Governor’s Salmon Strategy and the Puget Sound Action Agenda. Agencies should identify which requests implement both in their submittal to GSRO, the Partnership, and OFM.