Gregoire signs new $35B state budget

OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire has put the finishing touches on the recently concluded legislative session by signing into law a $35 billion, two-year state budget. Tuesday is the last day of the governor’s bill-signing period, when Gregoire gives final approval to measures that passed the 2009 Legislature — or vetoes them. Lawmakers passed more than 500 bills this year. The governor vetoed some sections of the budget, including a $29 million cut in the state auditor’s perfomance audit program. The auditor agrees to save about $15 million to help fill the budget deficit. The budget bridges an estimated $9 billion deficit.