The Odessa Record -

Special sessions have become the norm in Olympia, and we are currently making our way through our second special session this year. However, a couple of things to remember: If we are protecting taxpayer dollars then the extra sessions are worth it. And, the past few special sessions have produced strong, bipartisan operating budgets. That provides us reason to be optimistic.

The K-12 education negotiators are making progress. They have a monumental task of reaching agreement on the many fine details of an education funding plan. It is a tough and lengthy process. House Democrats and Senate...