The break gives negotiators three days to cool off from tense negotiations that never seemed to come close to a budget deal that could get the votes to pass both Senate and House.

That’s three days when lawmakers and state officials can briefly hit the campaign trail if they choose, during a break in the session freeze on raising campaign money.

Gov. Chris Gregoire called lawmakers back into session Monday and said she hopes they can finish some time next week and don’t go the full 30 days allowed by the state constitution.

The full Legislature rarely spends much time in …

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The compromise deal barely encountered any opposition in the Senate, where only Steve Conway of Tacoma, Karen Fraser of Thurston County and Craig Pridemore of Vancouver voted against it.

Gov. Chris Gregoire watched as senators debated the measure and moved it on to the House, where it is already being fast-tracked for a potential committee vote Friday.

A teacher-evaluation overhaul was one of Gregoire’s top priorities, and she had told business interests like Microsoft and Boeing she would pursue it; they in turn told her they would support her proposal for a half-penny sales tax increase. She talked to business …

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That’s according to one of the four lawmakers who have been negotiating with Gov. Chris Gregoire for about nine hours over five days.

“I was doubtful we could get there,” said Rep. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup. “The governor did a very good job pushing everybody.”

He expects a Senate vote before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline for bills to advance and then a House vote soon afterward.

Dammeier, Republican Sen. Steve Litzow and two Democrats, Rep. Kristine Lytton and Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, have been meeting with Gregoire since Wednesday to resolve a debate that pits teachers unions against business groups — and …

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There’s been a bit of a feud going on between Gov. Chris Gregoire and the state’s cities and counties.

But rather than fuel it during her speech Wednesday to the legislative conference of the Association of Washington Cities, the governor offered peace terms instead.

The feud started in October when she proposed ending the sharing of liquor profits and liquor taxes with local governments. If successful, the change would cost local governments about $70 million just as many are facing their own budget shortfalls.

Gregoire said she was forced to suggest it because of the state’s ongoing budget crisis but …

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Most of Gov. Chris Gregoire‘s ambitious legislative agenda has been turned into legislation. She found sponsors for bills to recognize same-sex marriage (a whopping 73 sponsors), take over business tax collections from cities (with Gig Harbor’s Sen. Derek Kilmer taking the lead) and retool teacher evaluations.

But there’s no bill yet for her plan to seek bids from private companies wanting to take over Washington’s Lottery.

The proposed bill was turned over to House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, but no one in their majority Democratic caucuses has offered to sponsor it. …

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Microsoft, Boeing and other big Washington companies have praised Gov. Chris Gregoire‘s teacher-evaluation plan, introduced today as a bill.

But it’s clear they want to go farther.

We got a look at just how far on Thursday with a new bill on teacher evaluations – as well as one allowing charter schools — backed by Microsoft, the Washington Roundtable that includes both companies, and education-reform groups like Stand for Children and the League of Education Voters. The Seattle Times’ Brian Rosenthal has details on the news conference announcing the measures.

The debate over education policy is …

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Chris Gregoire will tell lawmakers today what she wants them to tackle in her final legislative session (or at least, final regular session) as governor.

In her annual State of the State address, Gregoire will give details on what kind of new tax or fee revenue the Legislature should pursue for transportation needs. A task force she convened called for $21 billion in projects.

We know much of the rest of the content of her speech, because Gregoire has already unveiled an ambitious legislative agenda:

• her proposed budget
• a half-cent sales tax increase to offset some of the

…

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From Alexis Krell in our Capitol bureau:

Gov. Chris Gregoire said today that she will introduce legislation to allow same-sex marriages in Washington state, her first public support for gay marriage.

“It is time, it’s the right thing to do, and I will introduce the bill to make it happen,” Gregoire told reporters.

Washington would be the seventh state to legalize gay marriage if the legislation is passed. The effort would not require religious institutions to perform same-sex marriages.

Gregoire has previously supported giving gay and lesbian couples the same rights as married couples, but not legalizing same-sex marriage. Voters …

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