How does special session work? Part 1.

People across the state — from Gov. Chris Gregoire to rural school district administrators — are now thinking about the Legislature going into special session. The regular session ended at midnight last night, but the Legislature felt they have unfinished business, mainly in the form of policy bills required to implement some of the savings called for in the budget.

But how does a special session work? Here’s what we know so far.

The Legislature can vote to bring themselves into special session, but it requires a certain a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

The other option: Gov. Chris Gregoire can call the Legislature back.

Either way, special session cannot exceed 30 days.

But: If the Legislature votes themselves into special session, they can limit the scope and time frame of the session. If it’s called by the governor, not so.

This special session, if and when it’s called, will be by Gov. Chris Gregoire. And that means all bets are off: She can’t place a time limit on the session (other than the 30-day limit, of course) and no one can restrict what bills can be brought up.

And, because any bill introduced this session is still alive — all the way through next session — that means lawmakers have another chance to try to revive the bills they’re fighting for.

But: Gov. Chris Gregoire and Sen. Lisa Brown have both said that they want to come into special session with an understanding of what’s on the table. That means they’ll work over the next few days to negotiate (levy lid lifts and illegal immigrant offender deportation, among others) before reconvening.

Both have indicated that they want the special session to last no more than a day or two. (I haven’t spoken to Speaker of the House Frank Chopp about it yet, but will update here when I hear from the House.)

That said: They’ve also both indicated that their priority bills are on their minds. Brown said the bill to amend Initiative 937 (which requires utilities to buy a certain amount of energy from renewable sources) is still on her mind, and Gregoire said her climate change legislation is still important to her.

What happens if session lasts until 12:01 a.m. on the 31st day? They would have to call another special session.

Tags: special session