The Associated Press reported on March 12:
Gov. Chris Gregoire is calling a special session so that lawmakers can finish their work on patching a $2.8 billion budget hole.
Lawmakers adjourned their 60-day regular session on Thursday night. But House and Senate Democrats don’t yet have an agreement on their updated budget plan or tax package.
The special session will begin Monday.
Earlier in the day, Gregoire said she needed to see that the House and Senate have reached an agreement on three things before she would call a special session: The size of the budget, the amount of revenue needed for that budget, and the amount they’ll have left over for savings.
…
Gregoire had also said that a “go home” issue for her was progress on an education reform package that could allow the state to compete for federal funds on education reform. That bill was approved by the Legislature Thursday night.
The measure looks to make low-performing schools more accountable and creates a new teacher and principal evaluation system, something that must be done in order for the state eligible for the federal dollars.
(For the full article, go to seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics )
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