While many of us on Evergreen’s campus consider today the first day of spring term, for those of us with a foot in the legislative arena it also marks the first day of week three of the first special session of 2010. Is there any end in sight?

Negotiations continue on the 2010 supplemental operating and capital budgets. Though no agreements on either budget have been finalized, the issue  that has kept legislators in Olympia 15 days beyond the end of the regular session is revenue. More specifically, the sales tax and whether to increase the sales tax or not. The Senate is in favor and the House and Governor are not.

On Friday, some suggested that the Senate’s decision to move Senate Bill 6143 (revenue bill) to conference may be a small and optimistic sign towards the passage of a supplemental budget.  Optimism continued to rise, when later that day in a press conference Sen. Brown eluded to looking for $200 million in taxes to replace the Senate’s proposed sales tax increase. The source of these taxes was not made clear.

Both of these moves may lead one to be more optimistic than even 48 hours ago. However, there are still many in the Senate who support a sales tax and have concerns with regard to the business tax increases, proposed by the House, that are still in the mix.

As for now, the bills needed to implement a 2010 supplemental operating budget, 2010 supplemental capital budget, and increase revenue remain where they were at the end of last week. In addition, the bills that Evergreen is tracking this special session also have not moved further in the process.