OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington lawmakers have returned to the state Capitol for a week of meetings, as Gov. Chris Gregoire still weighs whether to call a special session to deal with the state’s budget woes.
Legislators began arriving for committee meetings Monday morning. Gregoire has been in talks with legislative leaders on ideas to patch the current state budget, which covers general spending through June 2011. Gregoire made across-the-board cuts to many programs earlier this year, but the deficit recently grew to about $1 billion because of slow growth in tax collections.
Gregoire doesn’t need the Legislature’s permission to call a special session, but she can only limit its duration to 30 days, and she wants agreement on an agenda beforehand.
The regular 2011 session starts Jan. 10 and runs for 105 days.
