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| Find common ground to pass state budget | The Legislature was not expected to adjourn on time Thursday because there is no agreement about how to bridge the $1 billion dollar hole in the state budget. |
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| Legislature fails to reach deal; special session starts Monday | A disappointed Gov. Chris Gregoire is calling the Washington Legislature back into session at noon Monday to take another whack at closing the remaining $1 billion hole in the state checkbook. 鈥淚 certainly hope they will be able to finish it next week,鈥 the Democrat said shortly before鈥 |
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| No agreement on budget; special session is called | The state Legislature sputtered to a finish Thursday night without agreement on how to close a $1 billion budget shortfall. Lawmakers did pass a landmark bill legalizing gay marriage this session and approved other legislation, including a measure adding improvement in student test scores to the鈥 |
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| Higher education is an investment we can鈥檛 afford to neglect | A recent easing of the budget crisis facing Washington state is presenting legislators with an unexpected opportunity to both right a wrong and to invest in our state鈥檚 long-term economic health. |
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| Special session looking likely for lawmakers to finish budget | State lawmakers, for the third year in a row, appear headed into special session to negotiate a state budget. |
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| Sine die? House Democrats offer 鈥楬ail Mary鈥 budget ploy | With time running out on the clock in the Washington Legislature鈥檚 session, House Democrats offered a last-minute budget amendment late last night. Links to relevant documents are here. 鈥 It spends the most of any budget to date, $30.9 billion over two years and leaves the least in reserves. |
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| State budget conversation must move back to the center | Rodney Tom and Jim Kastama, state senators from Puget Sound suburbs, both insist they are still Democrats. But they felt they had to do something to stop fellow Democrats from writing a budget strong on gimmicks and weak on reform and sustainability. |
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| Can you spell s-p-e-c-i-a-l s-e-s-s-i-o-n? | Gov. Chris Gregoire hadn鈥檛 thrown in the towel on cutting a budget deal tonight after shuttle diplomacy between Republicans and Democrats at the Capitol. But hope is fading 鈥 barring some midnight breakthrough 鈥 that a deal can be struck in time to avoid going past Thursday's scheduled end鈥 |
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| Lawmakers, use your imagination and compromise | Friday's Senate revolt, which resulted in a Republican budget passing the Democratically controlled Senate, have blown the minds of Democratic leaders used to getting their way in Olympia. |
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| Battle over merger of state pension funds unresolved | A political tug-of-war over a potential $1.2 billion surplus in one of the state鈥檚 oldest, richest pensions is unsettled as the Washington Legislature enters the final 48 hours of an unpredictable session in search of any loose money. |