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Inslee Says He Will Start Vetoing Bills If Lawmakers Don’t Send Him A Budget

NWNews | By Austin Jenkins,
Austin Jenkins
Published March 7, 2016 at 3:24 PM PST
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he will start vetoing bills on Thursday if Washington lawmakers can't agree on a bipartisan update to the state's two-year budget. Thursday is the 60th and final day of the current legislative session.
Austin Jenkins
/
Northwest News Network
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he will start vetoing bills on Thursday if Washington lawmakers can't agree on a bipartisan update to the state's two-year budget. Thursday is the 60th and final day of the current legislative session.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has a blunt warning for state lawmakers:

“Your bills are going to get vetoed if you don’t do your job and pass a budget.”

Inslee made that threat Monday in an effort to push the House and Senate to a budget compromise. The current 60-day session ends on Thursday.

“They are way, way short of a pace that they need to obtain if they’re going to get a budget deal to my desk by midnight Thursday,” the governor said. “So they need to pick up that pace substantially.”

House Democrats and Senate Republicans are struggling to agree on an update to the state’s two-year operating budget.

Inslee said if lawmakers miss the Thursday deadline he’ll start vetoing the 35 bills they’ve already passed. He would also immediately call them back into special session to continue working on a budget deal.

Copyright 2016 Northwest News Network
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Politics Governor Jay Inslee
Austin Jenkins
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." Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise. Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Austin’s reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists.
See stories by Austin Jenkins
Austin Jenkins
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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