Budget logjam may be beginning to break

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The GOP-led Senate held budget hearings Friday afternoon-- on the Republicans' new offer to compromise with Democrats -- a necessary step to ending the special session quickly.

“I think what you've got now is a budget that I think most people can get behind,” said Republican Sen. Andy Hill of Redmond, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Finding $200 million to pay for fighting last summer's wildfires is one of the big sticking points.  Now Republicans have agreed to take that money from the state's special rainy day fund -- instead of squeezing it out of the general fund that pays for education and social services.

But there is still no agreement on whether there should be money to address the teacher shortage by paying beginning teachers more.

“We're both interested in teacher shortages. We take different approaches but frankly their approach requires a bunch of money that they have not been able to produce,” said Republican Sen. John Braun of Centralia.

Budget negotiations are usually confidential, so House Democrats are upset that the Republicans have made some details of their budget plan public, a plan that's been in the works since Tuesday.

“Had this been an offer made to us directly, we could be done with our work, we could be home right now,” said Democratic House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan of Covington.

Still Democrats promise to press on with negotiations.

“We're going to continue working hard to make sure that we can come together and have a budget that's going to work for everyone,” said Rep. Kris Lytton of Anacortes. Still Democrats promise to press on with negotiations. “We're going to continue working hard to make sure that we can come together and have a budget that's going to work for everyone,” said Rep. Kris Lytton of Anacortes.

Cox Media Group