School funding, a roads-and-transit package and medical marijuana are among the hot topics as the Washington legislature convenes Monday.
Lawmakers plan to meet for 105 days.
Republicans control the Washington Senate while Democrats have the majority in the state House. But House minority leader Dan Kristiansen noted that no one party has a comfortable majority.
“The voters have spoken and the numbers in the legislature are virtually a dead heat,” he said. “So there’s going to be forced dialogue, there’s going to be forced comprise from folks if we’re going to get out of here in that 105-days.”
Of course, the opposite could happen -- gridlock. Already partisan differences are flaring over Governor Jay Inslee’s proposed tax package.
Washington lawmakers return to the Capitol in contempt of the Supreme Court over school funding and facing the threat of sanctions.
