Washington Legislature Closer to Avoiding Government Shutdown

State officials predict rapid progress in budget negotiations after two forecasts on Tuesday gave the Legislature an additional $320 million to spend over the next two years.

That’s not a ton of money, considering lawmakers are negotiating a two-year budget north of $33 billion. But it may be just enough to get past final barriers to an agreement.

Republicans and Democrats alike said they expect to reach agreement on a budget before the current fiscal year ends on June 30. Failure to do so would lead to a government shutdown starting July 1.