Budget Negotiators Still Far Apart, So Legislature To Go Into Overtime

With budget negotiators making only glacial progress, House and Senate leaders conceded Thursday a special legislative session will be required. Gov. Mike Lowry said he is prepared to call an immediate session on Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Marcus Gaspard, D-Puyallup, and House Speaker Clyde Ballard, R-East Wenatchee, publicly acknowledged what lawmakers have been assuming for days: Huge differences over the budget and tax cuts will throw the Legislature into overtime.

The 105-day session permitted by the state Constitution for budgetyear sessions will expire Sunday.

Ballard said he hopes the special session won’t last more than two or three weeks. If the budget and tax talks haven’t borne fruit by then, rank-and-file lawmakers may be sent home, leaving negotiators behind to iron out House and Senate differences, he said.

“I don’t want to start out talking about that (hiatus), but if it gets to where we cannot agree, that would be best for the process,” Ballard said in an interview.

“We will ask the governor for a Monday morning start for a special session, with a very narrow agenda. Unless there is a compelling argument, that should include only the budget and related items.”