Both Senate and House Democrats have confirmed they will be unveiling operating and capital budget proposals next week. The Senate has scheduled a press conference for Monday; the House is set to follow suit on Tuesday. While there have been extensive efforts to reach agreement on many parts of the budget, expect there still to be significant differences between the chambers.
The Seattle Times has an item reporting that Senate cuts to higher education are expected to be much larger than those contained in the Governor’s budget proposal. It also reports that a decision on whether to allow tuition increases greater than 7 percent per year is still under discussion. For it’s part, the House is looking at a much smaller capital spending plan, using some of the savings to shore up the operating budget. This may have an effect on campus construction projects. We will be posting budget details here as soon as they are available.
Monday also marks the cutoff for policy committees to act on bills from the opposite house (fiscal committees have until April 6). Action will shift from the committee rooms to the floor.
So put your helmet on and strap in — it will be a fast and furious ride from here until the end of session April 26.