OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The state Senate has approved another round of spending cuts and fund transfers to deal with the current fiscal year’s budget deficit.
It’s just a warm-up for the bigger deficit that will have to be balanced in the next two-year budget that takes effect in July.
The deficit-cutting bill was approved by an unusually bipartisan 38-9 vote. The Senate bill cuts about $395 million from this year’s $500 million deficit. That’s on top of deficit reductions that were approved in December’s special session.
The state House has passed its own plan for cutting the deficit. The two sides will have to agree on a final package to send to Gov. Chris Gregoire.
