Last evening, the House Appropriations committee passed a new version of HB 3381 that does include the amendment that was being pushed by higher education institutions to re-authorize tuition and fees for the remainder of the current biennium. For the time being at least, the UW and other universities and colleges are breathing a huge sigh of relief. The bill now goes to the House floor and then to the Senate where it is likely to be resolved as part of the final budget negotiations over the next several days.