Interim Update/Session Preview

• The Legislature will be convening in Olympia for Committee Assembly Days on November 19 & 20.  Pre-session hearings and work group presentations on interim activities will be made, and session previews from agencies will take place.  This is a grand time to meet with legislators to discuss the upcoming session and any legislative action items we may have, as well as to gather signatures for bills to be prefiled for 2016.
  
  

• The 2016 Legislative Session will begin January 11 and is scheduled to run for 60 consecutive days.  Most legislators (and lobbyists) are hoping to end on-time, with the focus turning quickly to the 2016 elections.  Plenty of work will need to be done before that can happen, though, with the need for a Supplemental Operating Budget appearing likely as the Legislature will look to tackle not just the education funding issue, but also the massive costs associated with the year’s wildfire season.  Similarly, a Supplemental Capital Budget is also on the table, though some legislators are already indicating that a supplemental may not be necessary.