Gov. Christine Gregoire
With Washington lawmakers racing to negotiate a budget and tax package, Gov. Christine Gregoire says it’s possible she’ll need to call a special session to extend the talks beyond Thursday’s deadline for adjournment.
Gregoire said majority Democrats in the House and Senate still have a lot of work to do, and she won’t know until tomorrow whether they’ll be close enough to finish before midnight, the scheduled adjournment time.
The House and Senate have both passed budget proposals and tax packages, but now must reconcile differences while solving a $2.8 billion deficit in the state budget through June 2011.
On Tuesday, the House approved a $680 million tax package that would shrink exemptions, collect more money from smokers and service businesses, and extend sales tax to new types of purchases. It was significantly smaller than the $890 million tax blueprint approved by the Senate.
The House package also avoids a general sales tax increase. The Senate has called for a temporary 0.3 percent increase, but Gregoire is against it. (AP)
