Brad Shannon:
The Politics Blog

Brad Shannon maintains this blog. He is political editor at The Olympian and can be reached at 360-753-1688 or bshannon@theolympian.com.

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Sen. Zarelli thinks special session needed in December

• Published October 12, 2009

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Not that Gov. Chris Gregoire and Democrats controlling the Legislature keenly pay attention to Republican state Sen. Joe Zarelli's suggestions.

But the budget shortfall facing lawmakers in January has swollen to somewhere between $1 billion and $1.7 billion, and today's monthly revenue report shows the situation isn't getting any better. In fact, general fund collections were about $32 million less than predicted less than a month ago in the September quarterly forecast.

With that in mind Zarelli, a Ridgefield conservative with a bit of budget dexterity, suggested the special session idea. If lawmakers are already going to be in town in early December for committee meetings, why not get a jumpstart on the budget shortfall and cuts that will need to be made anyway, Zarelli suggested today in his latest monthly �Budget Tidbits� column:

The Legislature is already scheduled to be in Olympia on Dec. 3 and 4 for Committee Assembly Days, a time when lawmakers meet to hold hearings and preview issues for next session. Rather than simply talk, the Legislature should act. It has a sizable problem, one that is not going away and indeed appears to be getting worse. If the Legislature is going to be spending taxpayers' money already that week, shouldn't the taxpayers get something for their funds? Inaction only makes the situation more difficult.

The early word from Gov. Chris Gregoire's office is thanks, but no thanks.

"I think she would wait until after the caseloads and the November forecast, if at all,"� Gregoire's legislative director Marty Brown said.

Gregoire has left open the door to taking up a levy lid issue, but not until lawmakers were in full agreement on the bill that failed in the waning minutes of this year's legislative session. No evidence of such an agreement is yet in sight.