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Washington Lawmakers Plan To Pass Budget, Possibly Gas Tax Package

Republican State Representative Vincent Buys plays his violin late Friday night in the Capitol. He decided to play after seeing on Twitter that reporters and others were camped out waiting to see if a budget deal would be announced.
Austin Jenkins
/
Northwest News Network
Republican State Representative Vincent Buys plays his violin late Friday night in the Capitol. He decided to play after seeing on Twitter that reporters and others were camped out waiting to see if a budget deal would be announced.

With a third special session underway, the Washington House and Senate plan to vote sometime Monday on a two-year budget.

A vote on a gas tax package is also possible this week.

This follows a whirlwind weekend of negotiations which were accompanied Friday night by the sound of a solo violin filling the Washington Capitol Rotunda. Upon investigation, reporters found Republican State Representative Vincent Buys on the fourth floor.

He said he was taking pity on those left in the Capitol waiting to see if the deal would come together.

Legislative leaders and the governor reached a budget deal in the wee hours of Saturday morning. On Saturday afternoon, Governor Jay Inslee, flanked by lawmakers, delivered the news.

“I’m very excited to announce that we have reached a bipartisan consensus on a budget that will benefit all Washingtonians,” Inslee said.

On Sunday, House and Senate transportation leaders issued statements saying they hope to have a bipartisan deal to pass a gas tax package for transportation as well.

Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."
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