With the state strapped for cash, Democrats’ chief budget writer in the Washington Senate has told colleagues there’s no money available for new spending they might desire next year.

Don’t even bother asking, Sen. June Robinson, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, warned fellow lawmakers in an email Tuesday.

“I will not be soliciting or accepting any member requests for the operating budget in the upcoming session,” she wrote. “Please help set expectations around this with your constituents and advocates as you meet with them.”

Early each session, lawmakers typically submit requests to budget writers for new or additional funding for programs and services. Wish lists are the product of legislators’ conversations with a wide berth of individuals and interests.

Robinson, an Eve

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