Assistant House Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, proposed in the House Education Committee this morning legislation that would create a state stabilization fund for higher education in three areas, community colleges, technical education and state universities and colleges.

For the most part, the fund would be set up, but no money would go into it this year. Instead, it’s more of a mechanism for lawmakers in future sessions to tuck money away in good times to save for the lean times.

“Would that we had done this five or six years ago, but we didn’t,” Bedke told the committee, an obvious reference to the budget woes that have hit higher education along with other state-funded agencies.

Currently, there’s already a rainy day account for K-12 public education.