By DAVID AMMONS
The Associated Press
04/06/00 3:30 PM Eastern
OLYMPIA (AP) -- Washington lawmakers will adjourn their special session
Friday and await a mini-session later on to approve a new budget for the
state, House Co-Speaker Clyde Ballard said.
Legislative leaders and budget negotiators from both houses met again
Thursday, but reported no breakthroughs in the budget impasse that has
hamstrung the current 30-day special session. The adjournment deadline isn`t
until midnight Saturday, but leaders are ready to pull the plug one day
early, Ballard said.
"We`re in the process of e-mailing our members that we intend to sine die
(adjourn) tomorrow and our plan is that we would request the governor to not
call us back together until we have something to vote on," Ballard said in
an interview after a morning meeting.
It`s unclear how long it will take negotiators to strike a deal, the East
Wenatchee Republican said.
"We should know by next week whether we fish or cut bait," Ballard said.
Senate Majority Leader Sid Snyder, D-Long Beach, agreed that a second
overtime will be required.
"We think we`re getting close and then we go backwards. It`s awfully tough,"
he said. "We pretty well felt we had to have a deal today to make it (by the
deadline). All of the pieces have to fit together and we can`t seem to get
them to all fit. It seems like we`ll get agreement on one thing and then
when we`re working on another area, people pull back on the first
agreement."
"Everything is still dangling," said House budget Co-Chairwoman Helen
Sommers, D-Seattle. "Property tax relief is one of those dangling issues, as
is use of the lottery for schools. It`s very difficult. Even after the big
pieces are taken care of, there are lot of little pieces, shards."
Rank-and-file lawmakers haven`t been at the Capitol for days, awaiting a
callback by their leaders.
Snyder said Locke shouldn`t call a new special session until there is
something for members to vote on.
Transportation budget negotiators also met Wednesday, but reported no
breakthroughs. Transportation funding -- needed to replace some of the $1.2
billion lost when voters approved Initiative 695 and its big car-tax cut --
has been the main point of disagreement between the two houses.
Negotiators can`t write a final highway spending plan until the main budget
dispute is resolved and it becomes clear how much is available for
transportation, Snyder said.
Property tax relief also has been a big sticking point, along with a dispute
over how to finance improvements for education, a bailout for ferries and
transit, and other services.
The Democratic Senate wants to rely more heavily on state reserves. The
evenly divided House has suggested tapping the general budget for ongoing
support for schools, shoreline management, Sound Transit, ferries and
highway construction.
The Senate`s property tax plan would cost five times the House`s proposal.
Locke isn`t taking sides in the budget stalemate, particularly since he
wants a final product that includes what he likes best in both budgets, said
Marty Brown, the governor`s budget director.
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