Olympia Updates

Sine die report: Contradictions plague WSU in the 2005 legislative session. WSU lost a $57 million Biotechnology/Life Sciences Building while the Legislature passed a Life Sciences Discovery Fund. There were performance audits but no performance contracts. Diversity issues unsuccessful under Democratic control.  For a printer-friendly version, click here.

State Senate budgets fall short of Gregoire's Higher education capital and operating plans; Spokane Nursing Building funded.  The Senate budget charges students higher tuition but invests less money ... For a printer-friendly version, click here.

State Senate leaders are expected to deal a serious setback Monday to WSU's decade-old plans to build a new four-story 117,210-square foot Biotechnology/Life Sciences Building on the Pullman campus.   There are rumors that the $57 million project will receive zero funding n the proposed Senate capital budget which will be released around mid-day Monday...  For a printer-friendly version, click here.

A 3 a.m. decision Friday that the education budget wasn't "good enough" led Gov. Christine Gregoire to provide a substantial increase in the number of new WSU students.  Eight hundred and thirty new full-time students for the Washington State University system without general budget cuts or tax increases. Funding provided to get Biotechnology and Bioproducts buildings underway.  For a printer-friendly version, click here.

Popular construction projects for a Pullman biotechnology building, a Tri-Cities Bioproducts building, and a Spokane nursing center are consumed in a political storm swirling over university funding in the capital construction budget now being negotiated around the legislative session this week. Stress on the biennial construction budget has reached the level that House Capital Budget Committee Chairman Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, has accused WSU of  “gaming” the system. For a printer-friendly version, click here.

An unprecedented joint biennial budget request by the University of Washington and Washington State University was unanimously endorsed and enhanced Oct. 21 by the state Higher Education Coordinating Board. This summary includes capital and operating budget highlights. For a printer-friendly version, click here.

A $57.1 million Biotechnology Life Science Building in Pullman, a new partnership with Pacific Northwest Laboratories to add value to Washington Commodities, and a UW-WSU operating budget request that builds and protects core land grant programs are highlights of WSU's 2005-2007 legislative agenda for agriculture. For a printer-friendly version, click here.

A UW- WSU Joint Supplemental Operating Budget Request and the proposal from all six four-year institutions in the capital construction budget are located under "State Briefings" at this website.