The House has voted 47-21 in favor of SB 1181, the budget for Idaho's state colleges and universities, after much debate. The budget bill, which earlier passed the Senate, now moves to the governor's desk; it sets state funding for the state's colleges and universities at its lowest level since 2000.

Several representatives objected to the budget as too low, while others objected that it didn't reflect percentage cuts as deep as those in the community colleges budget that the House approved this morning. That's largely due to additional dedicated funds built into the university budget from increased student tuition and fees. Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, told the House, "We've really not met the challenge to adequately fund higher education."