Inside the Washington state Capitol in Olympia, speculation about a potential special session is starting to swell.
Sine Die, when the legislature adjourns its 2025 regular 105-day session, is scheduled for Sunday, April 27. But state leaders have been at loggerheads over how to balance revenue and expenditures in Washington’s operating budget — one with a deep deficit ranging from $7.5 billion to $16 billion, depending on who you ask.
Special sessions may last up to 30 days and can be convened by the governor after the regular session wraps. The Legislature also can call itself into a special session with a two-thirds vote.
Earlier this month, state Rep. Travis Couture, the House Republican budget lead, told McClatchy that although it was hard to predict, he didn’t “see a path at the moment where this doesn’t land us in a special session.” Couture’s remark came after Gov. Bob Ferguson delivered a not-exactly-favorable reaction to the Democrats’ budget proposals.
And last week, Ferguson criticized Democrats’ updated $12 billion revenue plan, calling it “too risky.”
Democrat leadership must release their final operating budget at least 24 hours ahead of a final vote. If the budget can’t be agreed upon by Sine Die, then a special session would need to be called.
So, what’s the likelihood of a special session, and how much would one cost?
Ferguson said in an emailed statement that lawmakers are working hard under difficult circumstances to address the state’s $16 billion shortfall.
“I’m hopeful we can get done on Sunday, but I’m not concerned if it takes a few extra days to finalize and balance the budget,” he said. “The most important thing is to get the job done right.”
Senate Minority Leader John Braun, a Centralia Republican, put the odds of a special session at “about 50-50.” Braun said during a Wednesday media availability that Ferguson has been clear he isn’t comfortable with the level of spending that Democrats have proposed.
Sen. Judy Warnick, Republican caucus chair, noted that a slew of tax-related bills were scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday afternoon.
“But the uncertainty about what the governor is going to do is a key piece of whether we’re going to have a special session or not,” the Moses Lake Republican said.
Some Democrats seem optimistic that lawmakers are on track to clock out of work on Sunday.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Marcus Riccelli said Wednesday that there’s still lots to sort out in the regular session’s closing days, but that many key agreements are in place.
“The pressure helps us move to action,” the Spokane Democrat said. “I think we all want to get done on time.”
How much would a special session cost?
If a special session does occur in the Washington Legislature this year, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
A one-day special session was called in 2023, for instance, to pass legislation seeking to permanently address drug-possession criminality following the 2021 state Supreme Court decision, State v. Blake. Six years prior, in 2017, three 30-day special sessions were held.
Bernard Dean, chief clerk for the state House of Representatives, said that costs associated with a special session can vary based on a host of factors, including the session’s nature and duration.
If a special session is called and lawmakers enter what’s colloquially known as a “rolling recess,” it means that members typically go home while leadership and negotiators stay in Olympia to iron out final agreements, Dean said. In that case, expenses are significantly lower than they would be during continuous floor or committee activity.
Daily expenses can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, he said. The biggest driver of that dollar amount: per-diem allowances. Members are entitled to receive up to $206 per day to cover expenses such as meals.
With 98 representatives in the lower chamber, that adds up to more than $20,000 each day if everyone claims their payment, Dean said. Special-session expenses also typically include minimal session staffing, such as temporary security and parking personnel.
Lawmakers often turn down such per-diem pay if they’re living back in their district while a deal is being sorted out by leadership and budget negotiators, he said.
“Some members also don’t like the optics of claiming the allowance in a special session, so you always have some members who decline it,” Dean said. “So it’s unlikely that all 98 members would claim the allowance for every day of a special session, perhaps not the full amount.”
That makes it hard to predict the actual daily costs, he added.
Sarah Bannister, secretary of the Washington state Senate, said the upper chamber’s legislative allowance is roughly a total of $10,000 per day. Like the House, each senator’s per diem is $206.
Where would the money come from?
Both the House and Senate would absorb special-session costs from existing appropriations, Dean said. Expenses could be offset by savings or budget reductions if needed.
Put another way: “We don’t seek additional taxpayer funds to cover the cost of the special session. We just take it out of our underlying budget.”
Bannister also emphasized that the cost of a special session fluctuates depending on the scenario. Asked for her feelings on what might transpire this time around, she answered that she has “complete confidence in our members.”
“I haven’t heard either way, but that’s my instinct: is to say they can do it,” Bannister said. “They can get this work done. They’ve been working really hard. Really hard.”
