OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna in calling on lawmakers to pass several reform bills as part of their negotiated budget deal, and he strongly criticized House Speaker Frank Chopp, saying he is blocking a vote on those bills.
At a press conference in Olympia Monday, the attorney general said that Senate Republicans “haven’t seen one inch of compromise from the speaker’s office, in that he won’t allow any vote on a reform bill.”
Lawmakers are nearing the end of a 30-day special session to address the budget. They are trying to close a roughly half-billion dollar shortfall for the two-year budget cycle ending June 2013.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has said that if they aren’t able to reach a general agreement by Tuesday, it will be difficult for lawmakers to get everything done by the April 10 end of the 30-day special session.
