Olympia Update No
Olympia
Update No. 18 • April 23, 2007
Legislature
passes budgets & adjourns
From: Larry
Ganders, Assistant to the President
Printable Adobe PDF Version
Washington Legislature
adjourns
“sine die”
It was the
session that the governor told legislators intended to go to school on
education, from early learning to graduate school.
It ended
tonight as a productive session for WSU and higher education, largely following
the agenda set by Gov. Christine Gregoire. The largest WSU capital construction
budget in history, a 17.9 percent increase in operating funds for the
university, and a constitutional amendment proposed to voters to increase trust
earnings are among the impacts the 2007 Legislature had on Washington State
University before it adjourned the 105-day session tonight.
A New
Branch Campus?
Perhaps the most potentially controversial higher education issue of the session
was the proposal for a new four-year institution at Everett. Separate
legislation was unsuccessful amidst divided legislators from the Everett area.
The alternatives ranged from campus centers, to a subsidiary of UW Bothell, to a
new free-standing institution or technological institute. With little fanfare,
the Legislature’s decision apparently is buried in the final capital budget that
provides $4 million to begin an effort that, “the University of Washington shall
govern and operate” as “an additional branch campus.” OFM and UW are to report
on the issue Nov. 15.
But issues
for P-12 education were more visible and contentious, right down to the end. The
standard math and science test requirements for high school graduation were
delayed for up to five years (Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6023.) The final
version of ESSB 6023 was the 37th draft of that legislation.
“Mr
Speaker, say sine die!” The plea for the legislative motion to end the session
was put to the melody of “Mr. Sandman” by state legislative staff singing to the
the House of Representatives just before 5 p.m. Staff average 13-hour work days
for the past 105 days and were as anxious as anyone to see the session end. It
was one of the lighter moments of a final day in which lawmakers wrestled with
school testing legislation and family leave policy.
Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1092,
will appropriate $58 million to complete the Pullman Life Sciences Building. It
is the highlight of a record $180.6 million WSU construction budget contained in
the capital budget bill. A $29 million classroom building for WSU Vancouver, and
$59 million in critical dollars to improve and preserve existing facilities are
in the conference committee version of the 2007-2009 construction budget. The
measure passed the state House of Representatives 96-1 Sunday evening after clearing
the Senate 46-0 the previous day.
For more details on the capital budget, see Olympia Update No. 16
The
operating budget bill, Substitute House Bill 1128, boosts Washington State University’s state funding 17.9 percent in the
next two years. The bill cleared the state Senate 31-17 for the last time just
before 6 p.m. Sunday. The House passed the bill 60-36 at about 9:15 p.m. Except
for three House members and one senator, the budget votes were completely along
party lines. “This year it is a good higher education budget, in past
years it has not been,” said House Appropriations Chair Helen Sommers,
D-Seattle. Sommers, who remains critical of some specific WSU programs,
nevertheless remains as the champion for all of higher education in the
Washington Legislature. Student enrollments will increase at all campuses for a
total of 850 new WSU slots,
agricultural research funding will be boosted by $5.3 million, and salaries will
increase by an average of 3.2 percent Sept. 1 through the new $508.6 million
compromise operating budget for WSU. The first state appropriations for medical
education programs in Spokane, a WSU PhD program in nursing, a new Spokane
Applied Sciences Laboratory, a new engineering program at WSU Vancouver, and WSU
Small Business Development Centers are just some of the items contained in the
final resolution of House-Senate budget differences. Most of the opposition to
the budget was from Republicans who railed against out-of-control spending in
the $33 billion budget and objected to union members receiving pay increases in
July, while other employees had to wait until September.
For more details on operating budget, see Olympia Update No. 17
Both the
bills now head to Gov. Christine Gregoire’s desk for a signature. However, the
third most important bill impacting WSU this session head instead to the state’s
voters in November.
Substitute House Joint Resolution 4215,
the WSU-sponsored constitutional amendment that allows for equity investment in
trust land permanent funds, passed the state Senate earlier this month without
opposition 45-0 and will be on the November ballot. The measure sponsored by
Rep. Phyllis Kenney, D-Seattle, passed the House 92-2 on March 8. Constitutional
amendments require a two-thirds vote in each house, something this proposal
easily achieved. The companion bill to implement the change, Substitute House
Bill 1784, passed the Senate 47-0 and is headed for the governor’s desk. It is
contingent on voter approval of SHJR 4215.
For more details on the constitutional amendment, see Olympia Update No. 15
More than
two-thirds of the bills impacting higher education and WSU died during the
session.
A complete list is available on the WSU bill status page
Among the
more significant bills:
Tuition increases are capped at at 7 percent
in the governor’s Washington Learns bill, Second Substitute Senate Bill 5806
sponsored by the Republican senator representing the Pullman campus, Sen. Mark
Schoesler, R-Ritzville. Perhaps more importantly, a state goal is adopted in the
measure that total per-student funding levels are comparable to competing state
institutions. The measure was signed into law by the governor Friday.
Innovation Partnership Zones, Substitute House Bill 1091, has passed the Legislature in a
form supporting the original request by the governor.
An Institute for Systems Medicine Bill (Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1705) has
been sent to the governor. The measure creates authority for a local state sales
tax credit that will fund the health sciences research and services program
envisioned for Spokane. It is expected to generate about $1 million per year.
A staff collective bargaining bill, (Substitute House Bill 2361.) extending rights to
managers and administrators who were previously exempt was signed into law by
the governor on April 19.
A bill that creates a space-available high-demand waivers for teachers
and certificated instructional staff at common schools has been delivered to the governor
(Substitute Senate Billa 5101.)
Resolutions honoring WSU President V Lane Rawlins (HR 4658) and WSU
Basketball Coach Tony Bennett (HR 4661)
were adopted by the House of Representatives.
Olympia
Update is produced for persons interested in state government developments
impacting Washington State University. For more information, go to
www.olympia.wsu.edu. Contacts: Larry Ganders, Assistant to the President,
360-956-2165. From WSU campuses, dial 8-2165. If you wish to subscribe to
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