Olympia Updates

The 13th day of special session. More info at: www.olympia.wsu.edu

GRIDLOCK ENDS: HOUSE GOP AND HOUSE DEMOCRATS
AGREE TO BI-PARTISAN SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET

"Who would have thought it?" quipped House GOP Appropriations Co- Chair Tom Huff, R-Gig Harbor, as he and House Democratic Appropriations Co- Chair Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, announced a bi-partisan agreement on a supplemental operating and capital budget proposal. "It`s amazing," he concluded, as the 2000 Legislature entered its 73rd consecutive day of a scheduled 60-day run. Through a quirk of the 1998 elections, the 98-member House has been deadlocked for months with 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats. It is a gridlock with shared committee chairs and shared House speakers that resulted in no biennial budget proposal emerging from the House in 1999. Democrats and some Republican defectors simply passed the Senate budget last year. Not this year. The 259-page bipartisan supplemental House budget, wearing a bold "49- 49" logo on its cover, is expected to pass the full House of Representatives tonight. That sets up negotiations between House members and Senators on a final budget that appears likely to remain very favorable to WSU.

The bi-partisan House plan drew immediate support
from Washington State University.

In a morning Appropriations Committee hearing, WSU testified with unqualified support for the budget, most notably for funding WSU Tri-Cities and a new Cancer Research and Prevention Center at Spokane`s Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI.) WSU praised the proposal as a budget that will help complete President Sam Smith`s legacy at WSU and provide an excellent beginning for his successor, University of Memphis President Lane Rawlins. The House proposal is currently a striking amendment to a Senate bill, Second Substitute Senate Bill 6404.

WSU Tri-Cities funding inequities addressed
for the first time in its history.

A House Republican budget announced earlier in the session called for a crippling $1.453 million (28 percent) cut for the WSU Tri-Cities campus. Sommers` House Democratic budget did not cut funding but left in place an almost impossible enrollment goal of 754 students, 158 more than are on that campus now. Huff and Sommers continued to discuss their respective budgets and came up with a proposal today that sets a new reasonable enrollment target of 616 students for next fall. For the first time in history, the House acted to shrink a funding gap between WSU Tri-Cities and comparable branch campuses. The state pays about $2,000 less per students at WSU Tri-Cities. Since the House bi-partisan proposal is very similar to a solution proposed in the Senate by Ways and Means Chair Valoria Loveland, D-Pasco, in the Senate budget, it now appears likely that a firm funding base for WSU Tri-Cities will emerge in the final budget. Legislators representing Pullman`s 9th Legislative District and the Tri-Cities` 8th and 16th Legislative Districts played a key role in bringing about adoption of the bi-partisan compromise by both Huff and Sommers. "WSU Tri-Cities appears to have friends in high places," one legislative staffer remarked.

Bi-partisan House budget produces $875,000
for SIRTI-Related Activities at Spokane Riverpoint Campus.

Among the enhancements touted by the House bi-partisan budget is $450,000 for WSU to provide cancer research activities at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI). It also provided $425,000 through the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development for SIRTI commercialization activities. Originally, House Democrats supported the $425,000 request but not the WSU component. House Republicans recommended $600,000 for the WSU component but did not fund the $425,000 piece for SIRTI. Again, this final proposal brings funding in line with the latest Senate-passed budget, which was being considered on the Senate floor today as Senate Bill 6088. This is the third rewrite of the Senate budget but it contains no revisions affecting higher education.

House proposes slower growth rates
for WSU Pullman, WSU Vancouver, and WSU Spokane.

As expected, the House made adjustments to enrollment funding for WSU as it tried to make the savings initiatives that lawmakers believe voters mandated with passage of Initiative 601, and more recently, Initiative 695. But the proposed enrollment levels still leave room for growth at all WSU campuses and match up closely to recommendations made earlier this session by WSU and enrollment levels passed by the Senate. The House higher education budget policy was to provide overall system growth of 2 percent, rather than 2.5 percent as originally budgeted. WSU Pullman`s main campus will grow under the bipartisan budget to 17,480 students next year. That`s close to a revised funding level suggested by WSU of 17,549 students. The Senate would provide funding for up to 17,649 students, but would require money at each campus to be returned to the state for any shortfall.

For WSU Vancouver, the House bipartisan budget provides for 1,083 students. WSU suggested a funding level for 1,071 students. The Senate budget provides funding for up to 1,121 students.

For WSU Spokane, the House bi-partisan budget provides for 558 graduate and professional students. WSU suggested a funding level of 551 students. The Senate provides funding for up to 601 students.

This update is shared by fax and electronic mail to friends of Washington State University as state government developments occur regarding the 2000 Legislative Session. Contact Michelle Delaney, 509/335-9681 to receive a copy. Call Larry Ganders at 360/956-2165 or send him a short pager message via e-mail to 3607863527@page.metrocall.com. From WSU Campuses, Dial 8-2165. e-mail: Ganders@energy.wsu.edu. Call Jane Yung in Olympia at 360/956-2164 or page her at 360-956-8500. For bill status and other info, visit our web page at www.olympia.wsu.edu.