This morning, House budget writers unveiled their 2009-2011 operating budget proposal at a press conference. To provide a sense of how much the economy has worsened since December, House members said they had to cut $1.60 for every dollar the governor cut.
Like the Senate, the House relied on $3 billion in federal stimulus dollars to provide a “cushion” to prevent deeper cuts to critical state programs and services.
In the education budget, the House, like the Senate, took basic education off the table immediately and looked for cuts elsewhere. The House chose to make deeper cuts in higher education than the Senate. This would allow the House budget to keep levy equalization (LEA) funding largely intact and fund 50 percent of I-728 (the Senate cut LEA by 75 percent and I-728 by 93 percent).
Unfortunately, the deeper cuts in higher education mean the House budget assumes a 10 percent tuition increase at the 4-year universities and a 7 percent increase at the community and technical colleges. The House budget would increase financial aid to offset the rise in tuition for eligible students at or below 70 percent of the state median family income. However, they would freeze state need grant and work study awards for students attending private colleges at 2009 levels.
The House also built more flexibility into their budget by giving local schools and colleges the ability to decide how to make the cuts.
We need talk to groups and print leaflets to get the people to vote for a Corporate and Personal income tax David Campbell member Spokane Alliance tax team member VOICES anti poverty group