KGMI News
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The legislature’s third special session is over, but lawmakers left on bad terms after a dispute over a Whatcom County water rights case prevented a vote on a two-year capital budget.
Governor Inslee expressed disappointment that legislators let the clock run out without reaching an agreement on a construction spending plan.
“The legislators of both parties had a bipartisan success this year,” Inslee said.
“They made one of the biggest strides ever in educational funding, and I believe have satisifed McCleary – that’s up to the court, but that’s my belief.”
“So they had this great bipartisan success, and it is disappointing to leave on a sour note,” he said.
Republicans say a permanent fix to the state Supreme Court’s Hirst decision must be part of the $4 billion capital budget, but Democrats wouldn’t allow a vote on that.
Democrats proposed two years of temporary relief from the ruling against Whatcom County banning some new wells in rural areas, but Republicans wouldn’t budge.