OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The Washington state Senate has approved a supplemental budget to direct additional money to expenses incurred from events last year’s wildfires and the deadly Oso landslide.
The supplemental budget bill that passed the chamber unanimously Wednesday also addresses a lawsuit the state lost last year over the warehousing of mentally ill patients in jails. Because the Senate made some changes to the House version, both chambers will now move to reconcile their differences before taking final votes. In addition to paying for expenses from responding to natural disasters, including the mudslide and multiple wildfires in the eastern half of the state last summer, the additional $143 million in state funds will cover other programs including foster care costs.
Lawmakers are still working on crafting a new two-year operating budget. The House will unveil a proposal first in the coming weeks, followed by the Senate.
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