Olympia Updates

LEGISLATORS ADJOURN WITHOUT PASSING A BUDGET
"MINI-SESSION" LATER THIS MONTH

After 89 continuous days in regular and special sessions, the 56th Washington Legislature adjourned Friday morning, April 7, without passing a supplemental budget. Budget negotiators will continue this week to resolve differences between the House and Senate but the Legislature will not be in session. Many legislators have been home this week and did not come back to Olympia for the ceremonial "sine die" adjournment.

Once an agreement is reached between House and Senate negotiators, the governor intends to call lawmakers back into session to ratify a budget in what is being described as a "mini-session." Technically, that`s a second special session of the Legislature that could last up to another 30 days. But lawmakers intend for it to be a day or two. While some legislative leaders and the governor have suggested the mini-session could occur late next week, many speculate it will be later.

All of this means that WSU and the rest of state government does not know exactly what its operating budget will be for the fiscal year beginning July 1. For some agencies the uncertainty may pose a severe hardship. But budget proposals approved by the House and the Senate have enough overlap to give the university a firm operating base. There are no indications that talks between the House and the Senate to resolve the impasse would drastically put the university any at risk.

Budget discussions have scarcely touched on higher education. The differences are over issues such as property tax relief for businesses and/or homeowners, the use of lottery funds for K-12 education, and whether to use cash or bonds to pay for highway construction.

2000 LEGISLATURE LENGTH IS MORE TYPICAL OF AN ODD-NUMBERED YEAR
THAN OF A "SHORT" EVEN-YEAR SUPPLEMENTAL SESSION

Second special sessions are not very unusual. There`s been seven in the last 20 years and it has been a practice of the Legislature for nearly 50 years. Sometimes, the Legislature will go into a third special session. The 89-day duration so far of this 2000 Legislature also is not unusual. Odd-year sessions are normally scheduled for 105 days.

But the length of the 2000 legislative sessions is unusual for a Legislature meeting in an even year. The decision to adjourn the first special session Friday means that the 2000 Legislature will be only one day short of tying the longest continuous running even-year session in history. This undoubtedly reflects the complexity of dealing with the spending limits of Initiative 601, the tax reductions of Initiative 695, and the challenge of passing a proposal through a state House of Representatives that is evenly split between the political parties.

This state makes most of its decisions in odd-year sessions, passing a biennial budget. Prior to the 1970s, it was unusual for the Legislature to meet in an even year. But in 1970 the Legislature met for 32 days to revise or tune up the biennial budget, passing a "supplemental budget." It met for 44 days in 1972, 41 days in 1974 and 75 days in 1976. Short or 60-day regular sessions were first established in 1980. The record 90 days was set in 1982 when lawmakers adjourned the continuous session on April 10. They completed their work in a sort of mini-session that ran from June 26 to July 2.

HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WSU BUDGET
PROPOSED BY THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE

Both versions provide $3.6 million in one-time funding for a new boiler at the Pullman power plant.
Both fund the Spokane Health Sciences Initiative at $450,000 for the coming year. The House budget mandates that the $450,000 be replaced with private funding in the future. The Senate budget is silent on that issue.
Both budgets provide growth for WSU at all campuses. The House provides guaranteed funding for 814 new students for the Washington State University system next year. The Senate continues funding set in 1999 for next year for up to 1,064 students, but would withhold for unfilled student slots next fall.

WSU Pullman is funded by 555 TO 724 students. WSU requested 624 students.
WSU Spokane is funded to grow by at least 29 percent, 126-169 graduate and professional students
WSU Vancouver funded to grow by at least 12 percent, 113 TO 151 new students
Funding inequities at WSU Tri-Cities addressed by both House & Senate budgets. It funds growth of 20 students.

GOVERNOR SIGNS BILLS CREATING PERS III,
ADDITIONAL TUITION WAIVER AUTHORITY

While higher education`s interest in the Legislature was the budget, the session did take action on some other pieces of legislation that have since been signed into law by Gov. Gary Locke.
· Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6530, allowing PERS 2 employees to convert to a new PERS 3 system was signed into law March 27 despite an effort by some labor unions to get the proposal vetoed.
· Senate Bill 6010, giving the university flexibility to provide additional student tuition waivers, was also signed by the governor on March 27
· Senate Bill 5330, allowing active duty military personnel to pay resident tuition was signed by the governor March 24.

This update is shared by fax and electronic mail to friends of Washington State University as state government developments occur regarding the 2000 Legislative Sessions. 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.