Cut spending? Limit vaping? Lawmakers decide in Olympia

On Monday, Washington’s lawmakers will return to the Capitol for a 105-day sprint to discuss, debate, and distill their hopes and dreams into policy. 

The biggest “to do” item for this session: fixing the budget. Faced with a $12 billion shortfall, lawmakers need to figure out the age-old question: to spend less money, or raise more of it? We've gathered a panel of experts to discuss what Washington lawmakers are considering as they return to Olympia: Paul Queary is editor and publisher of the Washington State Observer, and Shauna Sowersby is state politics reporter for the Seattle Times. 

Listen to Libby's conversation with Washington State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen here. And you can here Libby's return to office conversation here.

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Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producers this week are Sarah Leibovitz and Jason Burrows. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.