Office of Attorney General

  Annual FTEs General Fund State Other Funds Total Funds
  (Dollars in Thousands)
Estimated Expenditures 1,247.9 32,036 328,777 360,813
2021-23 Maintenance Level 1,272.7 34,784 335,594 370,378
Difference from 2019-21 24.8 2,748 6,817 9,565
% Change from 2019-21 2.0% 8.6% 2.1% 2.7%

2021-23 Policy Other Changes

Antitrust Enforcement and Recovery 25.3 0 8,100 8,100
Adult Protective Services 6.0 0 1,574 1,574
Labor Relations Support 2.0 90 490 580
Foreclosure Compliance Program 0.0 150 0 150
Manufactured Housing Authority 0.0 0 95 95
2021-23 Policy Other Changes Total 33.3 240 10,259 10,499

2021-23 Policy Comp Changes

Pension Adjustments, nonrate 0.0 39 246 285
WFSE Assistant AGs 0.0 (1,149) (7,312) (8,461)
State Employee Benefits 0.0 (8) (117) (125)
WFSE General Government 0.0 (778) (3,212) (3,990)
Temporary Layoffs and Other Savings 0.0 (226) (3,071) (3,297)
Rep Employee Health Benefits 0.0 (67) (376) (443)
Non-Rep General Wage Increase 0.0 (1,156) (9,738) (10,894)
2021-23 Policy Comp Changes Total 0.0 (3,345) (23,580) (26,925)

2021-23 Policy Central Services Changes

Archives/Records Management 0.0 4 34 38
Audit Services 0.0 0 (2) (2)
Administrative Hearings 0.0 0 (1) (1)
CTS Central Services 0.0 50 466 516
DES Central Services 0.0 18 171 189
OFM Central Services 0.0 174 1,654 1,828
Self-Insurance Liability Premium 0.0 32 304 336
2021-23 Policy Central Services Changes Total 0.0 278 2,626 2,904
Total Policy Changes 33.3 (2,827) (10,695) (13,522)
2021-23 Policy Level 1,306.0 31,957 324,899 356,856
Difference from 2019-21 58.1 (79) (3,878) (3,957)
% Change from 2019-21 4.7% (0.2%) (1.2%) (1.1%)

Policy Changes

Antitrust Enforcement and Recovery

The Antitrust Division within the Attorney General's office enforces state and federal antitrust laws that prohibit price fixing, illegal mergers, monopolization, and other anti-competitive conduct. Antitrust cases are highly complex and require significant resource investments to successfully litigate. This program is self-funded through cost and fee recoveries resulting from antitrust litigation. The program's current expenditure authority is not sufficient to meet the existing demand for legal work in this area. This increase in spending authority will enable the state to continue antitrust litigation efforts, which have resulted in over $100 million returned to consumers and the state since 2015. (Anti-Trust Revolving Account - Non-Appropriated)

Adult Protective Services

The legal service needs of the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration of the Department of Social and Health Services continue to increase due to dramatic growth in Adult Protective Services investigators statewide. Funding is provided for additional legal resources to timely address abuse and neglect complaints in expanded programs for an increasing aging population. (Legal Services Revolving Account - State)

Labor Relations Support

The Attorney General's Office union-represented workforce increased in July 2020, from 593 employees represented by the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General to 1,132 employees with the formation of the Washington Attorney General Professional Staff bargaining unit. This has resulted in significant increases in payroll actions, data processing, union information requests, and charges from the Office of Financial Management for collective bargaining costs. The work that is required to support a total represented workforce of 1,132 employees is not manageable with the current staffing levels. Funding is provided to enable to the agency to address this workload increase. (General Fund - State, Legal Services Revolving Account - State)

Foreclosure Compliance Program

The Attorney General's Office has a statutory obligation to enforce the Foreclosure Fairness Act, and does so through the Foreclosure Compliance Program. This program resolves consumer complaints from borrowers, housing counselors, and others who contend that a bank or servicer has violated provisions of the act, and in turn, may file litigation to enforce the act. Given the economic downturn, the agency projects increased foreclosures and will require additional resources to fully enforce its obligations under the law. Funding is provided for this purpose. (General Fund - State, Foreclosure Fairness Account - Non-Appropriated)

Manufactured Housing Authority

The current expenditure authority for the Manufactured/Mobile Home Dispute Resolution Program is insufficient to provide the resources necessary to fulfill the agency's statutory mandate. Additional spending authority is provided to retain existing staff to fully engage parties in negotiating complaints, provide proactive outreach to landlords and tenants, and more quickly identify and refer complaints for legal determination. (Man/Mobile Home Dispute Resolution - Non-Appropriated)

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. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal, Legal Services Revolving Account - State, other funds)

WFSE Assistant AGs

This adjustment reflects the impact of the 2021-23 collective bargaining agreement. (Man/Mobile Home Dispute Resolution - Non-Appropriated, Local Government Archives Account - Private/Local, New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Acct - 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. (Anti-Trust Revolving Account - Non-Appropriated, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)

WFSE General Government

This adjustment reflects the impact of the 2021-23 collective bargaining agreement. (Foreclosure Fairness Account - Non-Appropriated, Local Government Archives Account - State, Man/Mobile Home Dispute Resolution - Non-Appropriated, other funds)

Temporary Layoffs and Other Savings

This item reflects savings achieved from temporary layoffs or similar actions. (New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Acct - State, Man/Mobile Home Dispute Resolution - Non-Appropriated, Public Service Revolving Account - 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. (Man/Mobile Home Dispute Resolution - Non-Appropriated, Foreclosure Fairness Account - Non-Appropriated, 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. (Local Government Archives Account - State, Man/Mobile Home Dispute Resolution - Non-Appropriated, Foreclosure Fairness Account - Non-Appropriated, 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. (General Fund - State, Legal Services Revolving Account - State, Public Service Revolving Account - State)

Audit Services

Adjustments are made for each agency’s anticipated cost of audits performed by the State Auditor’s Office. (Legal Services Revolving Account - State)

Administrative Hearings

Adjustments are made for each agency’s anticipated cost of administrative hearings from the Office of Administrative Hearings. (Legal Services Revolving Account - State)

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, Legal Services Revolving Account - State, Public Service Revolving Account - 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. (Public Service Revolving Account - State, General Fund - State, Legal Services Revolving Account - State, 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. (Public Service Revolving Account - State, Legal Services Revolving Account - 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. (Public Service Revolving Account - State, Legal Services Revolving Account - State, General Fund - State, other funds)