How Do The House and Senate Budgets Compare? Print E-mail
back-from-olympiaAgreement on a budget still to come.

With a special session looming, state lawmakers will focus their attention on passing a budget. After the House released its proposed budget, the Senate surprised the legislature by proposing a budget with support from three Democrats.

So how do the two budgets compare?

The Senate proposal cuts more K-12 funding than the House ($44 million versus $22 million), according to Enterprise Washington. The Senate version, however, cuts less in higher education funding ($30 million versus $51 million), also according to Enterprise Washington.

The House budget uses deferrals in spending, while the Senate budget does not. Republican lawmakers, who were behind the Senate proposal, criticized those deferrals, calling them "gimmicks."

Both chambers will have to come to an agreement on a final budget. The session is scheduled to end at midnight Thursday, but a special session looks like a real possibility.