With the start of the state’s new fiscal year July 1, cities’ funding to cover ongoing costs from the 2021 Blake decision is sharply reduced from prior years’ budget cycles.

Funding for the Washington Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) for Blake-related work has decreased throughout the program.

Funding for individual reimbursement

The previous 2023-25 operating budget contained $51 million to reimburse people for fines or costs ordered by courts for drug possession convictions that the Blake decision overturned. In the current 2025-27 budget, refunds are now allocated $6 million.

Funding for local government costs to vacate

For cities and counties, state funding to cover court costs associated with vacating the convictions is down from $50 million in the prior biennium to $7 million for 2025-27. In response to the reduction, AOC has changed how it will allocate Blake funding to the cities that bill for their work implanting this decision.

Previously, funds were allocated according to the number of affected cases in each jurisdiction. With the decreased funding, AOC is instead sending the 13 cities that billed for Blake work in the last 18 months proportional allocations based on their prior amounts. Another 13 cities that indicated to AOC they plan to bill for work going forward are being allocated $5,000 each.

This will bring cities’ share of Blake refunds to about $214,000 for the biennium. Please reach out to us if you’d like to share potential local impacts of this change in state funding.