Washington Lawmakers Return to Capitol for 60-day Session

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington lawmakers are returning to the state Capitol for the start of the 60-day legislative session.

Session begins at noon, and then lawmakers will start their work with several public hearings, including a Senate work session to discuss what led to the erroneous early release of thousands of prisoners over a 13-year period. The governor revealed the error last month, and since then, officials have acknowledged that at least two deaths have been tied to the early release of as many as 3,200 prisoners since 2002 because of a software coding error that miscalculated sentences.

The Senate Law and Justice Committee hearing will include testimony from Department of Corrections Secretary Dan Pacholke.