The Washington State Senate took steps Monday to work across the aisle to get more accomplished next year in Olympia.
A group of state senators announced Monday they've created a bipartisan coalition in hopes of making the 2013 legislative session more productive than the last, at a time when our state has many hurdles to clear.
Twenty-five senators will guide the new Majority Coalition Caucus with a set of principles aimed at balancing the budget, creating jobs and improving the education system.
At Monday's press conference, senators acknowledged the citizens are hungry for action in politics and they want to see compromise to get it done.
"I think it makes a smoother process of bipartisan way to get through the issues. We still have to work with the house and new governor but I think in the Senate at least it'll make it go a lot smoother than it did last session," said Sen. Jerome Delvin, (R) 8th District.
"The whole thing is structured around we want this to be a cooperative arrangement, governing from the middle, from the center and that's what the citizens here in this state expect," said Sen. Rodney Tom, (D) 48th District.
Sixty-five percent of citizens voted in favor of Initiative 1185, which requires a two-thirds majority in the legislature to raise any taxes.
Lawmakers said that's a sign the public wants them to reel in spending and it's time to take serious steps for change.
