Governor may call special legislative session

SEATTLE — Gov. Chris Gregoire says if $480 million in Medicaid matching money doesn’t come from the federal government by Aug. 9 she’ll have to consider a special session of the Legislature to deal with the budget. She told KOMO Radio today she’ll consult with legislative leaders to limit a session to a day or two. Gregoire says the state is facing a projected $3 billion in the next budget and the slow economic recovery is forcing fundamental changes in state operations. To give the public a say in expected cuts, Gregoire is asking for ideas on a website and holding a series of forums. Meetings were held Monday in Tacoma and Wednesday in Everett. Others are planned Tuesday in Vancouver and next Thursday Spokane.