WA lawmakers heading into special session Tuesday

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Gov. Chris Gregoire has called Washington lawmakers back into special session, starting next Tuesday morning, urging them to show bipartisan cooperation as they write a state budget that bridges a $5 billion spending gap. The regular 15-week session wound to a close Friday and lawmakers still have at least two more weeks of work to do on the operating and construction budgets and related bills, House and Senate leaders said at a joint news conference with the governor. The Senate will have all members working in Olympia and the House probably will allow rank-and-file members to wait in their home districts until agreements are reached, leaders indicated. Gregoire took no shots at the Legislature, which she said faces unusually difficult challenges, most notably writing the budget with a huge deficit and no real ability to raise taxes. She said:

"I'm very optimistic we can work together and get something done. ... We're focused."

Gregoire praised lawmakers for passing a transportation budget, reducing unemployment insurance rates, extending jobless benefits to nearly 70,000 people, reforming the pension system, and so forth. She said lawmakers passed 370 bills, a smaller number than usual as they focused on the budget mess. She said she had signed 161 bills so far, noting that all but two were adopted with at least some bipartisan support. Democrats control both chambers and Gregoire is a Democrat. Gregoire's proclamation is for a session of up to 30 days, but she said she hopes the session will wrap up quicker than that. She said the floodgates aren't open for a huge number of bills, just those dealing directly with the budget.