Democrats in the U.S. Senate are expected to move ahead on a bill today that could fill a hole in Washington state’s budget and erase the need for a special session.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a vote on an amendment from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to provide $16.1 billion in enhanced Medicaid funding to states. The money would come through the Federal Medical Assistance Percentages, or FMAP program. Washington state’s share would be about $320 million.
“At a time when we’ve been increasingly frustrated by what’s going on in D.C., it certainly is a good sign,” said Karina Shagren, spokeswoman for Gov. Chris Gregoire.
The amendment also contains $10 billion for education, which could help retain up to 3,000 jobs in this state in the 2010 school year.
Under Senate rules, at least 60 votes will be needed. Senate Democrats have been trying for some time to push through FMAP funding without success. It’s unclear how this will play out today.
There’s a lot riding on it in this state.
When lawmakers adopted the budget, they counted on the extra FMAP money and earmarked it for reserves. Without the money and with declining revenues, there is now a projected $305 million hole in the state budget and Gregoire may have to call a special session.
On Thursday, the governor conducted a roughly half-hour conference call with Democratic and Republican legislative leaders. They discussed the options of lawmakers coming up with savings in a special session or having her make across-the-board spending cuts to fill the budget hole.
Gregoire said she doesn’t want a special session to last more than a couple days, and some legislators have told her that’s not likely.
On the call were Sen. Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane; Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, the chief House budget writer; Sen. Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla; House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis; and Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, the ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
The governor hopes to hear from legislative leaders by noon today “as to whether they could reach consensus quickly if called back into special session,” Shagren said.
Then the governor’s focus will turn to the U.S. Senate where the vote is slated for about 2 p.m. Pacific time.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623, jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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