Lawmakers seem to have a path out of town after a positive revenue forecast Tuesday.

But no one is packing a bag yet. Budget talks continued last night. Still unclear is the status of a proposed gas tax increase to fund roads. Transportation leaders are meeting today with Gov. Jay Inslee, who wants the package.

Meanwhile, the state Liquor Control Board is holding a 1:30 p.m. work session on the public comments it received about its proposed rules for marijuana legalization.

No formal action was taken Wednesday night but the Tacoma Landmarks Commission directed city staff to pursue a plan to restore the city’s historic totem pole and keep it standing in Fireman’s Park in the northern section of downtown.

The commission’s support for saving the pole follows a June 10 meeting of the city Arts Commission during which members approved a recommendation to keep the pole in the city’s arts collection. The arts commission then approved a recommendation that the pole be stabilized and remain upright rather than be removed for restoration and displayed elsewhere. The commission also called for …

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With 19 days left for lawmakers to avert a partial government shutdown — here’s what that might look like — Gov. Jay Inslee is meeting with his Cabinet at 4:30 p.m. to talk about eventualities for going into July without a budget.

Elsewhere today, some of the laws passed this year expanding where alcohol can be served will start being implemented as the Liquor Control Board begins the process of collecting public comment before writing rules dealing with theaters and farmers’ markets serving alcohol, wine tastings by underage students, and liquor samples.

Republican Senate Transportation Committee Co-Chairman Curtis King has prepared his own version of a gas-tax- and fee-raising plan that could be taken up in a second special session.

King and Democratic transportation leaders have agreed the package should raise the gas tax by 10 and 1/2 cents and increase vehicle weight fees.

Both versions fund extensions of State Route 167 and 509 that are dependent on tolling both new highways plus toll lanes on I-5 – although King’s $1.53 billion version is about $260 million higher than Democrats’ so as to reduce the money needed from tolls.

The proposal is a sign that a transportation …

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A 30-day special session wraps up today with no budget deal, and lawmakers are moving on to the next round. Gov. Jay Inslee is likely to call another special session of up to 30 days starting Wednesday.

Inslee has set a 10:30 a.m. news conference to discuss the status of talks.

At least one lawmaker, Democratic Sen. Ed Murray, has said that if lawmakers went past June 11 he didn’t think they would be able to avoid a “fiscal cliff” that is coming July 1 if there’s no budget in place by then.

A 10 a.m. memorial service today in the Senate and the Capitol rotunda will honor Sen. Mike Carrell.

The Legislature has less than two days until the end of its special session, and the ball is in the House’s court after the Senate’s weekend reforms-for-revenue offer.

The Senate’s Republican-dominated majority is willing to put its key policy proposals to a public vote, but it wants some of them passed before it will agree to address a couple of court cases that have threatened state revenue, or tweak a tax exemption for out of state shoppers. 

Today, it’s the Senate’s turn.

The House sent Democrats’ latest budget offer to the Senate late Thursday, along with an add-on measure that would close six tax exemptions to provide extra funding for schools.

There’s no word on how they will be received on the other side of the rotunda, but in the House, neither received a single Republican vote.

While there were some liberal complaints about Democrats caving by removing most of their taxes from the budget without winning concessions from Senate Republicans, none of the liberals peeled off on the 53-35 budget vote. Rep. Monica Stonier, a freshman who …

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The center of attention will be Democrats’ new budget released Wednesday, which is due for a floor vote today after Wednesday’s party-line vote in the House Appropriations Committee.

The budget is full of concessions to Republicans and their two Democratic allies in control of the Senate:

• It contains no tax increases except for a couple of technical moves to restore revenue threatened by recent court rulings.
• It leaves the state’s rainy day fund untouched.
• Proposals to increase pay for school administrators and support staff are dropped.
• The overall spending level is about $900 million less than the previous House

…

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