OLYMPIA — Washington lawmakers returned to work Wednesday after a four-day break for a special session to resolve the state’s budget debate and other matters.
The House and Senate each opened business precisely at noon for a special session called by Gov. Jay Inslee. Their agenda includes resolving the competing visions Democrats and Republicans have for state spending, including a state Supreme Court mandate to put more money into public schools. Budget negotiators resumed meeting Monday ahead of the formal start of the special session.
Other issues lawmakers want to take up include taxes on recreational marijuana sales and the state’s first big-ticket transportation package in years. The special session is scheduled to last up to 30 days.
The session’s rules require each chamber to take new votes on bills previously passed that did not make it to Inslee’s desk, so lawmakers in both chambers slotted a series of bills for mostly procedural action in the next few days.
The Senate scheduled a series of bills for floor votes Wednesday afternoon that had previously passed. Bills to change the state’s presidential primary system and to cut tuition at state colleges and universities drew substantial debate before they passed again.
The House passed 11 bills with little discussion, including a reiteration of its proposal to revamp recreational marijuana taxes.
House leaders laid out a schedule that calls for only brief sessions Thursday and Friday before breaking for the weekend.
Meanwhile, the budget negotiators continue their work out of public sight. Members of both parties said their results will dictate much of what comes out of the special session.
“Until there’s some agreement on the total size of spending, a lot of this is just going through the motions,” said Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane.
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