Budget signing today

OLYMPIA — After about 135 days of fretting and arguing and nearly two weeks of perusing, Washington’s 2011-13 Operating Budget and Capital Budget are set to be signed this afternoon.

Gov. Chris Gregoire has an official signing ceremony at 2:30 p.m. for the budgets and some other bills passed in the closing hours of the special session. She could line-item veto parts of the bills — some folks are urging her to knock the emergency clause out of a proposal to seek bids on getting the state out of the wholesale liquor distribution biz, under the theory that voters may get a chance to take the state completely out in November, and there’s no real emergency here. She’s also being asked to veto cuts to the performance audit system.

Initiative entrepreneur Tim Eyman has promised (threatened?) to attend. In past years, he’s stood behind the governor and made thumb’s down gestures, or scarfed up several “signing” pens, even though he’s been opposed to the specific bill being signed.

Good times…