WSU supports House Supplemental
Operating Budget Plan
Washington State University testified this morning in strong support of the supplemental operating budget package introduced by Appropriations Chair Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, that specifies reductions of about 4 percent to university programs, 2 percent salary increases, and tuition increases of up to 16 percent. The measure, proposed Substitute House Bill 2460, was heard in Sommers' house fiscal committee today just minutes after copies of the bill were distributed, and committee conversations are expected to continue into tonight.
It differs sharply from the operating budget proposal for WSU that was passed last night by the Senate Ways and Means Committee as Substitute Senate Bill 6387. Both bills will now likely pass their respective houses, perhaps this week, setting up a House-Senate conference committee to resolve the differences. The House is expected to roll out its capital construction budget tomorrow, and Chairman Ed Murray, D-Seattle, said some supplemental enhancements for WSU may be considered when that measure comes to a vote in committee.
Legislative leaders say they intend for their differences to be settled before scheduled adjournment of the 2002 Legislature, slated for just one week from today. If that's the case, the final seven days of the session will have an enormous amount at stake for the university.
The House Budget minimizes cuts for higher education.
In supporting the House supplemental operating budget today, WSU noted that the House budget is nearly a $12 million reduction to its base budget, cuts that will be painful for the university to take. But the Senate budget cuts total $19.5 million, totaling 9.3 percent of the WSU base budget. Further, the House budget is the best proposal that has surfaced this year for higher education. Even Gov. Gary Locke's budget, written before another $400 million in the state's revenue crisis was identified, cut WSU more than the proposed House budget. Locke's total reduction to WSU was $13 million, about 6.2 percent of the WSU base budget.
House provides WSU salary increases. The House cuts WSU programs by 4 percent, allowing the university flexibility to take the cuts anywhere it is appropriate, and provides 2 percent salary increases this year to university
employees (deferred until Sept. 1.)
Senate provides NO WSU salary increases. The Senate budget cuts WSU programs 6.6 percent. In addition to that cut,
it was amended in committee Wednesday night so that it now provides no salary increases to university employees, reserving salary increases only for K-12 teachers and community college faculty.
The House budget permits WSU to make budget decisions.
Some harmful waiver-cutting provisions were deleted from the Senate budget in committee Wednesday night but the cuts remain. The Senate proposal still calls for out-of-state graduate tuition to be raised to $17,000 per year, which could potentially damage WSU's teaching assistant and research assistant programs as competing institutions charge less than $12,000 per year. While the Senate program generally targeted deeper cuts and even tried protecting some WSU programs, the House proposal provides less cuts and needed flexibility for the institution to make its own decisions.
House tuition language provides the authority for the WSU Board of Regents to raise tuition up to 16 percent this year for resident undergraduates. A tuition increase could provide funds to partially offset some of the cuts and preserve the quality of programs for existing students. The Senate budget contains authority for up to a 14 percent tuition increase, however the cuts are so deep in the Senate budget that the reduced cut after the tuition hike would still be
4.7 percent, more than the 4 percent House program cut before imposing tuition
hikes.
WSU praises the work of Rep. Helen Sommers
and House Appropriations members.
The House budget clearly reflected the efforts on behalf of higher education by House Appropriations Chair Helen Sommers, D-Seattle. In a conversation with WSU officials this morning, Sommers said she wanted to acknowledge the hard work of some other members of the committee that had
acted on behalf of the state's colleges and universities. They included House Higher Education chair Phyllis Kenney, D-Seattle and House Appropriations Vice Chair Bill Fromhold, D-Vancouver. Sommers also noted the help of House Appropriations Vice Chair Mark Doumit, D-Cathlamet, Capital Budget Vice Chair Jim McIntire, D-Seattle; Children and Family Services Vice Chair Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park; and House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Aberdeen.
This update is shared by broadcast fax and electronic mail to friends of Washington State University as government developments occur. Contact Kevin Ketchie, WSU Government Relations specialist, 509/335-6292 to be added to the list. Call Larry Ganders at 360-956-2165; From WSU Campuses, Dial 8-2165. E-mail: Ganders@energy.wsu.edu. Contact Jane Yung Dennie
at 360-956-2164. For federal issues, contact Kristi Growdon at 206-219-2424. For state bill status, budget updates, and other government info, visit our web page at
www.olympia.wsu.edu. Improvements have
recently been made in bill status tracking. Just go to our page and click on
"Status" in the left hand column.
