States pull for House stimulus version

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The differences between the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate versions of the economic stimulus bill are enormous for U.S. states, governors say.

That's because the House's $819 billion measure includes $79 billion in direct aid to states, $40 billion more than the Senate and state leaders say they desperately need the higher amounts to help balance their deficit-stricken budgets, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

"If the Senate version holds, there will be very deep cuts," Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle told the Post, adding that the cost to the state would be $600 million. "We're going to see teachers and firefighters and police officers lose their jobs."

"If the Senate will just move a little closer to the House version, that will provide some very significant tax relief, funding of Medicaid and an extension of unemployment insurance," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, told reporters Tuesday.