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 state still has to make more changes if we are to complete the current fiscal year without having a deficit, and even when we close the budget gap for the current biennium, the state will still be facing another multi-billion dollar shortfall going into the 2011-13 biennium. There are some vital structural reform proposals that need to be looked at in January if we’re going to get the state back on the right track.” Continue reading →