One of the more anticipated sessions of the state Legislature begins Monday with a bit of intrigue, a rally and talk of how much fish the average Washingtonian consumes.
In the next 105 days, the lawmakers will wrestle with matters like school funding, transportation and taxes. Here are some of the questions to be answered.
In the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans huddled in their respective caucuses before the session convenes at noon.
All eyes on the Senate where some of the Republicans want to change the chamber’s rules to make it tougher to pass tax increases. They want to require a two-thirds vote of the state Senate for any measure that increases taxes. This has been a staple of GOP fiscal conservatives for many years.
Republicans went into a closed-door caucus at 10 a.m. to hash out whether to bring forth \ this proposal. If they do, it could make for an interesting opening day debate.
In the meantime, the state Department of Ecology issued its new draft rule for water quality standards that is based on part on how much fish people consume. You can read all the details here.
Finally, at 11 a.m., faith leaders from around the state rallied on the steps of the Capitol to urge the elected officials to support new revenue for health and human services.
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