'Political earthquake' in Washington State

'Political earthquake' in Washington State By John Gramlich, Stateline Staff Writer

TODAY'S TAKE Lawmakers in Washington State may be headed into a special session after minority Republicans scored a stunning political victory late last week, teaming up with three conservative Democrats in the state Senate to pass their own version of the two-year state budget. The 25-to-24 vote caught Democratic Senate leaders by surprise and amounts to "a political earthquake not seen in 25 years," The Seattle Times wrote in an editorial, noting the GOP's long-standing minority status in the state. "Events like this do not happen without cause and cannot be talked into going away." The paper praised the Republican coup and castigated Senate Democrats for seeking a budget that it deemed a "buffet of procrastination," one that could leave the state with a $1 billion shortfall in its next biennium. The Republican alternative would make deeper cuts, and would not use some of the accounting maneuvers supported by Democrats, including postponing a required payment into the K-12 schools system. Democrats initially dismissed the Republican-backed spending plan and vowed to ignore it, but the Times reports today (March 6) that "there were signs of a slight thaw in relations between the parties" ahead of a Thursday deadline to wrap up the regular legislative session. The two sides will need to hammer out a compromise between the Democratic budget that passed the state House of Representatives and the Republican-backed plan that emerged from the Senate.  "The parties are going to have to work together or we don't get out of here," state Senator Joe Zarelli, the chief budget negotiator for the GOP, tells the Times. Meanwhile, there was grumbling among some lawmakers that Washington's recent vote to allow same-sex marriage — a top agenda item this year for Democratic Governor Chris Gregoire — distracted the legislature from budget writing. The session "just became about redefining marriage," Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, an opponent of gay marriage, told the Daily News of Longview, Washington. "So we just wasted three weeks.” “Today’s Take” provides a quick analysis of the day’s top news in state government. — Contact John Gramlich at jgramlich@stateline.org