Will wonders never cease?
Changes in state Senate may give conservatives more say in budget
Herald staff
On Monday, the first day of the 2011 legislative session, the Senate rewrote a 96-year-old rule that could give conservative Democrats and Republicans greater voice in the writing of the next state budget
Senators agreed to allow passage of amendments to the operating budget on a simple majority vote rather than the current requirement for 60 percent. This would affect amendments offered during floor debate of the budget.
“This is the most significant thing we can do to have a bipartisan budget,” said state Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam. “This really is a big deal.”
Practically speaking, this makes it possible for Republicans, with 22 seats, to secure votes of three Democrats to alter budget documents pushed by Senate Democratic leaders.
State Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, a moderate Democrat who votes with Republicans on most budget matters, welcomed the change.
“There is an opportunity to pass a coalition budget — not a Democratic budget or a Republican budget — but a budget that truly is a reflection of the public and in the public’s best interests,” he said.
This one snuck by me... and it seems like a major step forward.
We'll see.
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