Washington's budget hole is $96 million larger

It isn't terribly big news because it' s a rather small number when looking at a $2.6 billion budget hole (make that $2.7 billion now).

But the state's Caseload Forecast Council confirmed today what many legislators suspected - the recession has increased demand for services and caseloads are up.

The council's 76-page report shows an uptick in the number of children in our public schools, inmates in state prisons, people on TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a cash assistance and job-finding program for the unemployed), and other programs. There are a few declines as well, including Medical Assistance for Families and nursing homes.

Though the news isn't good, it isn't, as Jim Brunner in the Seattle Times points out, "a game changer for the Legislature."

The more telling news will come on Friday when lawmakers will get the latest revenue forecast. The forecase will tell us whether revenues continue to decline (we've brought in $1.7 billion less in revenue than anticipated since April of last year), or if the most recent projections from last November are still on track.