Planning & Budgeting

April 9, 2015

2015-17 Senate Capital & Engrossed Senate Operating Budget

The Senate capital budget appropriates $102 million in new funding from the State Building Construction Account, which is significantly more than the House capital budget appropriation of $41 million.

Here are some of the major funding items from the Senate capital budget:

  • $32.5 million for computer science and engineering expansion.
  • $16 million for UW Tacoma Urban Solution Center.
  • $46.2 million for Burke Museum.
  • $4 million for Health Science education MHSC T-wing renovation predesign.

The Senate voted its operating budget, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5077 off the floor, adopting only five floor amendments, making virtually no changes to the higher education budget presented in our prior budget brief, available here. However, one of these five adopted amendments would redirect state marijuana-related revenues to the general fund, in lieu of allocating those funds to the state’s research universities (per citizen’s Initiative 502).

We will keep you updated as the House and Senate continue to work toward a final conference budget.