[Updated with video and bumped up for visibility.]

* 12:29 pm - The House Education Committee is now debating the Senate’s tax hike plan. Gov. Quinn is at the hearing and took a question about the budget. The Senate’s plan requires $2 billion in spending cuts. Quinn said he’d have to do some belt tightening, but that the cuts were doable.

They’re meeting in room 114, so you can listen or watch by clicking here, unless your Mac is like mine and the feed doesn’t work.

* 1:21 pm - The Senate’s tax hike bill passed the committee 11-6-2.

* 1:29 pm - One House member absent from the chamber today: Democratic Rep. Lisa Hernandez.

* 1:36 pm - Gov. Quinn talked to reporters after the House committee hearing…

* 1:52 pm - The AP has a brief story up about the committee vote. Nothing new in it.

* 2:04 pm - The Tribune’s web story breezes past a very important point…

The tax measure was approved by the House Education Committee on an 11-6 party line vote, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposed. Two Republicans voted present.

Those two GOP “Present” votes are hugely significant, because House GOP Leader Tom Cross has said that his entire caucus is a “No” on any tax hike plan. There’s more to it, but you gotta subscribe.

It ain’t there yet, but the plot has thickened.

* 2:19 pm - A couple more videos from the committee hearing. Gov. Quinn says property taxes are the most onerous tax in Illinois…

The governor’s closing statement to the committee…

* 2:28 pm - From Rep. Fritchey’s Twitter page…

Dems are going to caucus in a bit to talk about taxes. This situation is still very much up in the air.

Yep.