Washington Governor Jay Inslee will sign a new two-year budget into law Tuesday, just in time to avert a partial government shutdown.
State lawmakers moved quickly to pass the $38 billion budget Monday night after striking a deal that ended weeks of gridlock.
It might have been the shortest budget debate in the history of the state -- after the longest budget stand-off. The entire debate on final passage of the budget in the Washington Senate took less than four minutes. Then it was over to the House where it too made quick work of the budget.
Both chambers approved the spending plan with strong bipartisan votes.
But there were some “nos.’ Democrat Jamie Pedersen of Seattle wanted a more robust tax package and he said funding for K-12 is inadequate. One key test is whether the budget will get lawmakers out of contempt of court over school funding.
Also moving in the final hours of the legislature: a nearly 12 cents a gallon gas tax package.
Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network
