Oregon Public Broadcasting

Democrats in the Washington state House have unveiled their budget proposal for the next two years. Unlike the Senate plan -- released Monday -- the House would save McNeil Island prison.

But college students would be socked with a potential double-digit tuition hike. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins has reaction.

The differences between the House and Senate budgets are in the details -- not the broad outlines.

Public schools, healthcare, human services and higher ed all get whacked big time in both. But the House budget aims to cut a little less from K-12 and a little more from colleges and universities.

Representative Kathy Haigh chairs the education budget subcommittee.

Rep. Kathy Haigh: “Our budget gives the hardest hit to our higher education system even though this is the absolute wrong time to do that.”

House Democrats attempt to offset those higher cuts by allowing universities to hike tuition by 10-percent.

Minority Republicans like Representative Gary Alexander are irate that Democrats rely so much on temporary patches like the federal stimulus.

Rep. Gary Alexander: “My first impression is we don’t need short term solutions based on one time money, what we need is long term leadership.”

Now House and Senate Democrats will work out the differences in their proposals.