This week marks the halfway point of the 1998 legislative
session which is scheduled to adjourn March 12. Legislation is required
to have passed at least the originating committee to be alive under legislative
rules. Most bills must pass the originating house by Feb. 17.
SENATOR WEST PROPOSES PERMANENT FUNDING FOR DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIPS
(SB 6727)
Legislation that would provide a permanent source of state funding
for matching "distinguished professorships" and "graduate fellowships"
has passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee and is now in the Senate
Rules Committee awaiting assignment to the Senate floor. In a proposal
which Senate Ways and Means Chairman Jim West, R-Spokane, fashioned in
cooperation with higher education institutions, the bill will provide 10
percent of the money from the state's "Education Savings Account" for distinguished
professorships, graduate fellowships and exceptional community college
faculty members. The amount of funding for these programs is about $5 million
per year, so approximately $2.5 million will be made available for distinguished
professorships to the six four-year institutions. Division of the funds
by the state Higher Education Coordinating Board could lead to state matching
funds for several professorships each year at WSU. There are more than
60 contributions of $250,000 each by WSU that have not yet been matched
by the state.
HIGHER EDUCATION ENDOWMENT BILL FACES SENATE VOTE (SB 6242)
Legislation which could set up a larger, permanent fund for higher
education endowments, like distinguished professorships and graduate fellowships,
is moving in the Legislature but funding to implement the program this
year is doubtful. Sen. Pat Hale, R-Tri-Cities, was responsible for pulling
the bill out of the Senate Rules Committee, which now makes it eligible
for a vote on the Senate floor.
ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS PROPOSE FUNDING SOLUTION FOR WSU PROGRAMS
(SSB 6396 and SHB 2691)
Bills that would provide a permanent source of funding for WSU's "Washington
Center for Real Estate Research" are moving through both houses of the
Washington Legislature. The legislation, which imposes a $10 fee on each
real estate broker, associate broker, and salesperson, was proposed by
the Washington Association of Realtors to continue the research, instruction
and public service work provided by the center. The center was created
at WSU in 1989 with funding provided by a series of grants from a real
estate education account administered by the state Department of Licensing.
Unfortunately, the funding source for the account is the interest earned
on real estate brokers' trust accounts. That funding source, and consequently
funding for the WSU center, has been dramatically reduced by lower interest
rates and decisions by many brokers not to maintain trust accounts.
FORMER PULLMAN COUNCILMAN BILL MARLER CONFIRMED AS WSU REGENT
The appointment of Bainbridge Island Attorney Bill Marler by Gov. Gary
Locke has been confirmed by the Washington State Senate this week. Marler
was interviewed by the Senate Higher Education Committee earlier in the
legislative session. Marler is a prominent attorney who represented the
murder victims of Wesley Allan Dodd. His other clients have included children
who were the victims of e-coli poisonings. He .is a member of the Kargianis
Watkins and Marler firm and earned three baccalaureate degrees from WSU.
He recently received the Distinguished Achievement Award from WSU's College
of Liberal Arts, and is active with Bainbridge Youth Services, the Senior
Services board, and the Children's Hospital Circle of Care.
WSU/DNR TRUST LANDS LEGISLATION APPEARS TO HAVE DIED IN HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
COMMITTEE
Efforts to end the illegal practice of charging management fees on
WSU trust lands continue to run into serious obstacles in the Washington
Legislature. The state Department of Natural Resources and WSU agreed on
a legislative solution, House Bill 2583. The bill was approved overwhelmingly
by the House Natural Resources Committee but failed to be considered by
the House Appropriations Committee before the Feb. 10 deadline for bills
to pass fiscal committees. Apparently committee members were not willing
to commit to the $1.2 million price tag to reimburse DNR for the discontinued
management fees. WSU is hopeful that the issue may still be addressed in
the supplemental operating budget to be considered by the Legislature later
in the session.
WSU APPEARS TO BE NEAR SETTLEMENT IN LAWSUIT INVOLVING VANCOUVER
BRANCH
Negotiations and mediation between WSU and the contractor of the first
buildings of the Vancouver branch campus appears to have produced a settlement
in the final days before the Senate completes its work on the 1998 supplemental
operating budget. WSU will be asking legislators to fund the settlement
of the project so that it doesn't impact any existing projects or programs
at the university. The contractor and subcontractors had been lobbying
legislators to take a direct interest in the issues.
SOME OREGON STUDENTS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR RESIDENT TUITION AT WSU
VANCOUVER (SH.B. 2373)
Substitute House Bill 2373, which would allow Vancouver-Portland area
students to take advantage of resident higher education tuition in the
opposite state is on the House calendar and could come to a vote soon.
WSU supports the legislation.
