In what is likely a historic moment, on April 18 the Senate passed ESHB 1087, a budget that was written in cooperation between Democrats and Republicans and supported (and opposed) by members of both parties.
Lead budget negotiators Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, and Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, acknowledged that if they had done it separately, the budget that was put before the Senate on Monday probably would have looked different. But the budget bill, with only six amendments offered (which must be a record!) represented many compromises and a commitment to keep the bipartisan spirit that started last year during the special session going.
Other legislators, including the majority and minority leaders, stood to voice their appreciation for the bipartisan effort and the willingness of all to work together. They acknowledged that at any time it could have come undone, but they had beat the odds and produced something that leadership in both parties supported.
The two-year spending plan closes a projected $4.8 billion budget shortfall in the fiscal year that begins this July and ends June 30, 2013.
Read the full update.
Updates on the Legislature and state government from the Washington State School Directors' Association.
