Full House Approves the Spokane Academic Center Building at
House stokes operating budget with research
Olympia Update No.
6 for the 2004 Legislative Session
March 9, 2004
From: Larry Ganders,
Assistant to the President
925 Plum St. SE - Building 4, P.O. Box 43165, Olympia, WA 98504-3165
Full House
Approves the Spokane Academic Center Building at $31.6 million
After
much maneuvering in caucus, eleven Republicans joined with most majority
Democrats late Monday night to pass through the state House of Representatives a
$31.6 million appropriation to construct the Spokane Academic Center Building.
Concerns raised privately about the Academic Center by a small number of Seattle
House Democrats and the governor’s office were offset by a significant number of
Republican crossover votes on House passage of HB 2573 and a continued
commitment from House Capital Budget Chair Hans Dunshee, D-Seattle, and Rep.
Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane. The final vote for HB 2573 was 61-36. So now the Senate
and House capital budgets match on a $31.6 million appropriation to the Academic
Center.
Governor
Still Pondering Building’s
Fate
The concerns raised by Gov. Gary Locke about the project could still make it
difficult for the full appropriation to pass the Legislature. WSU President Lane
Rawlins and Regents President Bill Marler wrote a letter today reaffirming
“that the Spokane
Academic Center Building is the highest capital priority for the Washington
State University system and the university strongly supports the $31.6 million
appropriation contained in both the House and Senate 2004 supplemental capital
budget proposals. WSU strongly urges you to support that approach.” Regent Joe
King also met with the governor in Olympia Tuesday to reinforce the university’s
commitment to the legislative budget levels.
Rawlins and Marler wrote
that the building is absolutely critical to expanding educational opportunities
to additional students in the region and developing Riverpoint as a true campus.
WSU currently has 1,300 graduate and professional students in Spokane and
Eastern Washington University has approximately 2,000 students in Spokane. This
facility will provide the classroom capacity for an additional 800 student FTEs
(based on HEC Board calculations.) The additional capacity will give WSU the
ability to offer new programs that will serve specialized needs of the state,
particularly in nursing and the health sciences.
Riverpoint's New Library and Classrooms
About a quarter of the
building is devoted to the first permanent library for the Riverpoint campus, a
joint library of both WSU and EWU. In addition to serving students from WSU and
EWU, it is also anticipated to be the library and some of the classrooms for the
Intercollegiate College of Nursing. The ICNE, operated by WSU’s College of
Nursing, also serves students from EWU, Whitworth College, and Gonzaga
University.
The governor recommended
funding for the Academic Center in his supplemental budget request, but only
enough funding this year ($6.6 million) to provide the utilities, excavation and
foundation for the building. Senate and House leaders said it would be fiscally
prudent to simply approve the entire project, a position supported by the
university.
Final House
Capital Vote Musters Bi-partisan Support.
On final
House passage, Rep. Jim McIntire, D-Seattle, was the only Democrat to vote no.
House Appropriations Chair Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, who had reportedly raised
strong objections in caucus about the Academic Center project, ended up voting
for the bill. Eleven Republicans voted for the bill, many to indicate support
for the Academic Center building. The Republicans included Reps. John Ahern,
R-Spokane; Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee; Brad Benson, R-Spokane; Cary Condotta,
R-East Wenatchee; Don Cox, R-Colfax; Dave Mastin, R-Walla Walla; Joyce McDonald,
R-Puyallup; Cathy McMorris, R-Colville; Lynn Shindler, R-Spokane Valley; Mark
Schoesler, R-Ritzville, and Mary Skinner, R-Yakima.
Another
House capital budget provision to deed WSU about 160 acres near Buckley and
retain 22 acres south of the WSU Puyallup station was attacked by Rep. Roger
Bush as “an unwise and inappropriate complication.” Bush’s floor amendment to
delete the 160 acre transfer was narrowly defeated 47-50. It was one of the few
roll call votes for any amendment. So the House version still has the
Buckley/Puyallup transfer intact. The Senate budget does not.
Funding
for the Pullman Wastewater Project Phase I is included in both House and Senate
capital budgets, though the Senate language (added by Sen. Larry Sheahan on the
Senate floor) is preferred by WSU.
Funding for WSUNet is included only in the Senate capital budget.
This
latest House capital vote followed by approval of the modified “Cajun” primary
in the House signals that the Legislature may well be on track for adjournment
Thursday. The new Louisiana-style primary system will take the top two
vote-getters, regardless of party, into the general election.
