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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

WA Lege Day 31: I-960 change could hit ‘bump’

OLYMPIA -- Senate Democrats apparently have a bill to do suspend Initiative 960 the way they want. Now they need Senate Republicans to go along if they have any chance of doing it before midnight.

It all has to do with the "bump" as explained by Jeff Reading of Senate Democratic staff:

The Senate is now heading back onto the floor to ...attempt to move the 960 bill from second to third reading so that it may be voted on for final passage.

Procedurally, it takes a two-thirds vote of members present to “bump” a bill from second to third reading in the same day. The Republicans have indicated they won’t give the bump.

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, and Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, have been huddling off and on, apparently in an attempt to negotiate this one out. Without the bump, Democrats would have to wait until after midnight, so they wouldn't be making the move in the same day...

 



The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.