OLYMPIA - House Bill 1795 would give public colleges and universities the ability to set their own tuition rates.

Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, and Rep. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, voted in favor of the bill, which passed the House 79-17.

"I want to fund higher education at a better level and provide students from our state more access to our colleges and universities. But the budget reality has led us to this solution and we need to have the courage to move it forward," Hinkle stated.

The bill would require institutions to use half of all tuition increases beyond the level mandated by the state operating budget to fund financial aid for students with incomes up to 125 percent of the state median family income.

"We have great people in our higher education system who know there are problems and want to fix them. In these tough budget times, we are giving our colleges and universities the tools they need to meet their challenges. It's the responsibility of state lawmakers to not only provide these tools, but to come back each legislative session and make sure they are being used wisely and producing the desired results," Hinkle stated.

House Bill 1795 will now head to the Senate for consideration.

"Despite vigorous debate, we have found a lot of common ground and bipartisanship on this issue," Hinkle stated. "This is an opportunity to take a step forward together for our state."

The Legislature is currently in special session in an effort to pass state operating and capital budgets.