Washington House Passes Education Proposal
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The House on Wednesday approved its education funding proposal, but majority Democrats haven't yet decided how to pay for the plan, which has a price tag of more than $7 billion over the next four years.
The bill ultimately passed on a 50-47 party line vote after lawmakers had to redo the vote because two Republicans initially accidentally vote in favor. The chamber's action comes just weeks after the Republican-led Senate passed its own plan. Both sides will now need to negotiate a final compromise.
Lawmakers are working to comply with a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that they must fully fund the state's basic education system. Lawmakers have already put more than $2 billion toward the issue since the ruling, but the biggest piece remaining of the court order is figuring out how much the state must provide for teacher salaries. School districts currently pay a big chunk of those salaries with local property-tax levies.