News

Special session near end as budget deadlock broken

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Budget negotiators in Olympia say they’ve broken the budget deadlock and the special session of the legislature could end as early as Tuesday.

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The first big hint of a deal came when Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement saying that the lawmakers have made what he called "great progress" and that he was ready reconsider the bills he'd vetoed when lawmakers didn't finish their budget work in time.

Monday afternoon, the Senate began the process of re-passing the bills the governor had vetoed. That concrete action came even before the budget deal was formally announced.

Details will be released by Tuesday morning, but negotiators say the supplemental budget will address the cost of last summer’s wildfires, the teacher shortage, homelessness and mental health.

Votes in the House of Representatives are scheduled to begin Tuesday morning.