GOP state lawmakers call for a special legislative session

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Republican legislative leaders in Washington have called on Gov. Jay Inslee to convene a special legislative session as soon as mid-June to work on budget and other coronavirus-related issues.

The announcement Thursday comes as GOP lawmakers grow increasingly critical of Inslee’s steps to gradually restart the economy amid a massive spike in unemployment and preliminary projections showing a $7-billion state budget shortfall over the next three years, The Seattle Times reported.

“The Legislature has been kept on the sidelines for more than two months while the governor exercised emergency powers long past the time when his original goal of ‘flattening the curve’ was realized and hospital resources were not overwhelmed,” Senate GOP Leader Mark Schoesler, of Ritzville, said in a statement. “It is time for the legislative branch to intervene.”

Republican leaders and many lawmakers supported Inslee’s efforts early in the pandemic.

Republican priorities include cutting state spending, pushing to restart K-12 school in the fall and finding ways to help the state’s long-term-care facilities.

While Republicans often push for tax cuts on businesses, Schoesler acknowledged that the economic downturn “makes that a challenge.”

Democratic officials say a June special session could be too early because the state won’t get an official budget forecast until mid-June, and it remains unclear if — or how much — the federal government will help with state budget shortfalls.

Those are two reasons — along with uncertainty about what might happen in the coming months with the virus — to potentially wait until later in the year, said Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane.

“We want to make sure that we come into special session in a way that allows us to do our work effectively and efficiently,” Billig said. He added that he hasn’t ruled out a June special session.

In an email, Inslee spokeswoman Tara Lee wrote that the lawmakers and officials also will have to work out, “the technical challenges of convening the Legislature in the midst of a pandemic.”