OLYMPIA – For the fourth time in as many years, the Legislature will go into overtime to figure out how to spend the money it collects, and how much it should collect.

Gov. Jay Inslee said he wants budget negotiators to stay in Olympia to continue working on the state’s two year spending plan. The remainder of the legislators will return for a special session that begins on May 13. It can go up to 30 days, and cover issues beyond the budget.

Inslee said all sides need to be flexible on budget negotiations and other issues that may come up, but he seemed to be drawing a line in the sand that would require fewer cuts and at least some extra revenue from closing or shrinking some tax preferences.

“We will not balance that (budget) on the backs of seniors, homeless kids and the disabled,” he said.

Senate Republicans said they would have preferred to start the special session today Monday, without any break. Their members all want to be involved in discussions about programs and policies, Republican Leader Mark Schoesler of Ritzville said, and have different expertise on the intricacies of the budget. And they continue to oppose tax increases, he added.

Inslee wants legislators to also handle issues involving abortion, gun control and immigration, which have been blocked in the Senate. Republicans may have some issues that Inslee opposes that they will introduce, although “we haven’t had that discussion yet,” Schoesler said.

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OLYMPIA — A meeting among legislative leaders, top budget writers and Gov. Chris Gregoire continues into the evening as the group looks for a way to reach agreements on budgets and reforms connected to that spending plan.

Three reforms are reportedly under discussion: a way to plan for balanced budgets for four years, rather than the current two years; changes to public school employees' health benefits that eventually bring them in line with the state employees' system; revisions to state employees' pension plan that would eliminate some early retirement options for new hires.

Different versions of each exist in the House and Senate. With the clock ticking toward a midnight Tuesday adjournment, there's not enough time to keep passing different versions back and forth. Legislators will need to agree to one version of each reform bill, along with a final version of the revised operating budget and a capital budget, and get them passed in the same form by both chambers.