Budget woes dominate new legislative session

Washington's election-year session gets under way at high noon on Monday, with lawmakers and the governor facing 2.6 billion problems. That, of course, is the size of the new projected budget deficit, $2.6 billion. Less than a year ago, lawmakers closed a $9 billion gap, but the anemic economy, coupled with soaring demand for state services during this recession, has produced yet another yawning chasm. Governor Gregoire says a no-new-taxes budget fix would require service cuts and layoffs totaling $1.7 billion. She and majority Democrats say they favor a solution that combines cuts, use of federal dollars and some assortment of tax and fee hikes. Minority Republicans continue to advocate for re-sizing the budget, without resorting to new revenue. It's a 60-day session and legislative leaders predict a furious pace, focused largely on budget concerns. The governor delivers her State of the State Address at mid-day Tuesday, and her budget staff says she'll probably also have a fresh budget-and-tax plan that day as well. The final legislative version isn't expected much before the scheduled March 11 adjournment.Hundreds of other bills, dealing with everything from labor and education to the environment and elections, will be considered, as well, although leaders have told members not to expect passage of measures with a price-tag. The first three weeks of the session will focus on committee hearings and markup of bills. TVW public broadcast will televise the proceedings on cable television and online. Secretary of State Sam Reed is requesting bills to:

• Make it easier for our military and overseas voters to cast ballots from abroad.
• Revamp the Corporations Division's fee structure, including lower formation fees for new corporations.
• Move the state's Combined Fund Drive for charity to the Secretary's office, from the Department of Personnel, at no additional cost.