I’d like to report that I am back in Spokane Valley, and all of the work in the Legislature has finally come to a close. Unfortunately, the third special special session will not end as quickly as we had hoped. Last Tuesday night, we worked around the clock to pass an operating budget and other bills necessary to implement that budget. Around 11:30 p.m. that evening, Gov. Inslee signed the state’s new 2015-17 budget – averting a government shutdown.
As we worked through the night to finish the bills necessary to implement the budget, the deal suddenly blew up. While Senate Republicans and House Democrats upheld their parts of the deal, the Senate Democrats did not.