How best to spend, save and raise money will be a recurring theme when Washington lawmakers convene in Olympia next week for their annual “ committee days .”

The state is facing a budget shortfall that’s poised to dominate the 2026 session, which begins Jan. 12.

Data centers, vaccine safety, bridges hit by trucks, and the states mounting legal payouts are other issues to be tackled in the three days of work sessions, which start Wednesday.

This year, both chambers will be in town at the same time. It will provide a sense of the pace and tenor of policy debates to come in next year’s 60-day session.

Wednesday, Dec. 3, is reserved for meetings of seven committees composed of House and Senate members. On Thursday and Friday, individual House and Senate committees will meet start

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