March 17, 2010 in City

Washington House, Senate re-approve bills

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OLYMPIA – Legislators retraced some steps Tuesday, re-approving bills one chamber supported but the other didn’t before regular session time ran out last week.

The House passed an $861 million bond sale to make public schools more energy efficient. Democrats said the bill would provide 38,000 jobs and save the schools money on their utility bills; Republicans said it was an example of the state spending what it doesn’t have.

The Senate passed a bill that tells state agencies to find a certain level of savings or send workers home without pay for 10 days over the next 15 months. There are some exceptions for low-paid staffers, and the number of days has dropped from the initial proposal, which called for 16 furlough days.

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