After a series of unprecedented procedural maneuvers Friday evening, minority members of the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus joined with three like-minded Democrats to temporarily gain a philosophical majority and introduce a sustainable budget proposal that doesn’t depend on gimmicks, tricks or tax increases. Central Washington senators say not only...

State lawmakers today approved several budget bills designed to narrow the state’s $1.1 billion budget gap during an emergency six-hour special session. Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, voted in favor of the bills, saying he supports this first step toward fiscal sustainability. “This is just a first step,” King said. “The...

The Washington State Senate today passed a bill amounting to the single largest operating-budget tax increase in state history. Senate Bill 6143would increase taxes by $794 million in the current biennium and nearly $1.7 billion in the 2011-13 biennium. Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, voted against the bill, saying the direction...

The Washington State Senate today passed Senate Bill 6143, which would create or raise 21 separate taxes, including the state’s business and occupations tax. This is the second time the Senate has passed the massive tax bill due to the Legislature currently being in special session until the majority can...

Sen. Curtis King and Rep. Charles Ross have scheduled a pair of town hall meetings for Saturday, March 29. The meetings will be in southeast Yakima from 10 to 11 a.m. and in West Valley from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Ross, R-Naches, and King, R-Yakima, will report to residents of...

The Legislature should be willing to reopen the two-year state operating budget approved in 2007 if that’s what it takes to bring spending more in line with revenue, said Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima. The state’s quarterly revenue forecast was released this afternoon. It predicts the state treasury will take in...