Time sure flies when you’re having fun … and Washington lawmakers just can’t get enough of the Capitol.  The 60 days allotted for election-year sessions expire at midnight Thursday evening, and by now the House and Senate leaders are facing up to the prospect of going into overtime.

The two chambers, both with big Democratic majorities, are still at odds over the size and composition of a tax package. The Senate’s tax package is over $890 million and includes a sales tax increase of 0.3 percent; the House version is more than $200 million lighter and does not include the sales tax surcharge. The two chambers disagree over how much financial help will be forthcoming from the feds, and there are numerous differences over state spending cuts, including health care and prison cuts.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler and Senate leaders were acknowledging that lawmakers have “run out of runway” and that Governor Gregoire will need to call a special session – the first in recent years.  Gregoire, who is demanding passage of education reform legislation, is expected to call a session of up to 30 days.  The cost is about $18,000 a day.