The deadline for passing a state budget is only days away, and activity in Olympia is reaching a fever pitch. Here’s the latest…

Only five days to go before the legislature and governor must agree on a state budget. Without a deal by June 30, we’ll have a government shutdown, something nobody seems to want.

Perhaps reassuringly, there’s been a flurry of activity in the state Capitol this week in general, and today in particular. Following Monday’s budget proposals from House Democrats, today Senate Republicans issued their latest budget offers.

Mirroring the House, the revised Senate budget legislation moves closer to a compromise. A quick overview:

• As we note in this blog post, the Senate offered two main budget bills today: one, a backup plan, would temporarily fund state government for another month in case lawmakers and the governor can’t agree on a final budget on time, thus avoiding a government shutdown. The other proposal includes more revenues and funding, and aligns more closely with the House.
• The second plan, which we summarize in detail here, would end three tax exemptions. It also adds more funding for teacher pay raises and early learning, among other items.
• In today’s Senate Ways & Means Committee hearing, committee chairman Sen. Andy Hill, R-Redmond, said the “last delta of difference” between the House and Senate is on tuition at state colleges and universities. The Senate still wants a 25% reduction in the cost of tuition, while the House in its last proposal still funds a tuition freeze only.

Even the difference over tuition appears to be bridgeable, as this tweet by Sen. Cyrus Habib, D-Kirkland, indicates:

We’ll post updates as events unfold, so keep checking back with us. Got questions? Leave a comment below.