Roundup of the 2000 Legislative Session that ended April 27
and subsequent bill action by the governor.
Complete higher education bill info available under "Status" at this web site.
LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR COMPLETES SESSION WORK,
PRESIDENT SMITH`S FINAL WSU LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN SUCCESSFUL
Gov. Gary Locke has completed action on legislation affecting WSU for this year, sealing the success of President Smith`s
final WSU legislative campaign. The university voluntarily returned $1.4 million in second-year enrollment funding but bills
passed by the 2000 Legislature provide $2.85 million more to the university than previously budgeted overall and set its annual
GF-S operating appropriation at $196.9 million.
The Legislature and the Governor:
Strengthened the funding base for WSU Tri-Cities, launched at the beginning of the Smith presidency but never
funded at levels comparable to other campuses. The current funding level for WSU Tri-Cities is $2,000 per student
lower than UW Tacoma, WSU Vancouver, and UW Bothell. The 2000 Legislature nearly eliminated that gap. (EHB
2487, signed April 27 and effective July 1).
Provided permanent flexibility for WSU to waive tuition for selected categories of students, a provision that allows the
university to offer reduced tuition to students who have high academic achievement. The measure was sponsored by
Senate Minority Leader Jim West, R-Spokane, who pushed the important measure through despite a Legislature
controlled by the opposite political party. (Senate Bill 6010, signed March 27 and effective June 8)
Funded $1.4 million for the 2001 fiscal year for Gov. Gary Locke`s Washington Promise Scholarship. This will
provide 3,600 scholarships to students in the top 15 percent of their classes whose family income does not exceed 135
percent of the state`s median income, adjusted for size. The maximum scholarship is increased from $1,200 to $1,500.
(EHB 2487)
Provided $3.6 million in one-time funding for a new steam boiler at the Pullman Power Plant, the first university
project ever funded by Initiative 601`s education construction account. (EHB 2487, EHB 3169, effective July 1.)
Launched a WSU Cancer Prevention Research Center in Spokane with $450,000 requested as part of the president`s
"Health Sciences Initiative." This may be the first step toward achieving a "research campus" at the Spokane
Riverpoint Higher Education Park as advocated by President Smith and the chair of the Higher Education
Coordinating Board, Bob Craves. (EHB 2487) The program was the result of negotiations led by President Smith and
Mike Nowling, chairman of the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI.) The program
will be housed in the SIRTI building.
Secured the technical changes required to keep construction of the $39 million Spokane Health Sciences building on
schedule. In an unprecedented move, President Smith last year secured funding for the project from a settlement over
the management of the university`s trust lands. A technical error by the 1999 Legislature was corrected by this
Legislature and keeps the project moving on schedule. (EHB 2487.)
Adopted the exact enrollment levels proposed by the university early in the legislative session. The new funding levels fully-
fund each campus for reasonable growth. Some under-enrolled universities that did not propose reductions received
proviso language that will withhold funding for new enrollments until the students enroll at the campuses. WSU was
not held to that requirement. WSU`s Pullman campus will be able to grow by 564 students (3.3 percent) from its
current actual enrollments. WSU Spokane is funded to grow by 119 students (28 percent) from its current actual
enrollment WSU`s Vancouver campus is funded to grow by 101 students (10 percent). (EHB 2487).
Required a study of whether WSU should change from the semester system to the quarter system. (EHB 2487.)
Established a work group on technical literacy. The group must develop definitions, standards, strategies and a financial assessment of information and technology literacy as part of a baccalaureate institution`s accountability program (HB 2375.)
Strengthened the Advanced Tuition Payment program or "GET." (EHB 2559)
Classified as residents, for tuition purposes, active duty military personnel stationed in the state. (SSB 5330, signed
March 24, effective June 8.) WSU joined Fairchild Air Force Base personnel in supporting this legislation.
Honored President Sam Smith`s 15 years of service to WSU in House Resolution 4744 and Senate Resolution 8726.
Created a new PERS 3 retirement system. The new system will be half "defined benefit" funded
exclusively from the employer contribution. It will use 1 percent of the final average salary times the number of years
of service. The remaining half will be a defined contribution system funded by the employee contrivution, ranging
from five percent to 15 percent of salary. TIAA-CREF employees are not affected. (ESSB 6530, effective March 1,
2002.)
Approved a Higher Education Coordinating Board Master plan, with the requirement that the board "re-examine its
assumptions with regard to projected upper-division and graduate enrollments..." (ESSCR 8425.)
The Senate confirmed Bernadett Buchanan as a member of the WSU Board of Regents.
Special thanks to our webmaster, Monte Sutton, of WSU Budget and Planning, for his extraordinary work providing you the latest information on this web page throughout the Legislative session and the governor`s bill signings. Periodic updates will continue through the legislative interim.
This update is shared by fax and electronic mail to friends of Washington State University as state government developments occur following the
2000 Legislative Session. 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 final
bill status and other info, visit our web page at www.olympia.wsu.edu.
