Plans for free fairs came to a screeching halt after lawmakers, uh, just sorta checked in with relevant parties. 400tmax/Getty Images

Free tickets to Washington State Fairs and free parking at Washington State Parks ranked among the most highly coveted items in the $63.4 billion supplemental budget proposed by Senate Democrats.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig called the yearlong programs “popular,” and said he’d received “supportive communication from constituents” after the news of the plan broke in a February 23 press release from Christine Rolfes, the chief budget negotiator for the Senate Dems.

Indeed, after initially dismissing the free passes as an empty gesture, Seattle real estate developer