Category: Legislative

2021 Legislative Update
Week 11: Budget proposals and their potential impact
Date: March 26, 2021
Time: 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Register to join: https://washington.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJModuyrpjwpHdGj7IR2ZMU1sJ_hp2bs96ZR
UW NetID required to participate.

Join the Office of State Relations on March 26 for a quick update on the 2021 legislative session. State Relations Director Joe Dacca will share the latest news from Olympia and answer your questions. In addition to reviewing the status of current budget proposals, he will provide an update on several bills the State Relations team is monitoring, including SB 5323. You are invited to submit your questions in advance of the meeting to extrnaff@uw.edu.

There is a new update from State Relations on Senate Bill 5323, which would implement a pay freeze and furloughs for the 2021-23 biennium.

“Senate Bill 5323, which freezes wages and salaries and requires 24 furlough days for all state employees during the 2021-23 biennium, did not move out of the Senate fiscal committee (Ways & Means). The bill’s lack of movement is a good sign, but the UW Office of State Relations and broader higher education community will continue to monitor it in case it is determined NTIB or remains part of budget discussions.”

The State Relations Blog, has an update on Senate Bill 5323, which would institute a pay freeze and furloughs for the 2021-23 biennium.

“The UW Office of State Relations continues to monitor Senate Bill 5323, which suspends merit increases during the 2021-23 biennium and requires all state employees to take 24 furlough days. The bill was heard in the Senate Ways & Means committee on Jan. 28 but has not yet been scheduled for executive session and moved to the Senate floor for a vote. Leaders across the higher education community have expressed strong disapproval of this proposal and the UW’s Office of State Relations continues to emphasize the detrimental impacts this proposal when speaking with legislators. It remains to be seen if the bill will be voted out of fiscal committee.”

Stay up to date on the legislative session by checking the the UW State Relations Blog. If you have specific questions, please reach out to the Office of State Relations.

Legislative Town Halls will be taking place throughout the month of February. Here is a list of scheduled town halls. If you are unsure of which Legislative District you live in, you can check the District Finder.

The PSO Legislative committee recently became aware of a new State Legislature Bill which will be of interest to UW Professional staff.

Senate Bill 5323 was introduced at the end of January. The proposed legislation would require 24 furlough days over the 2021-23 biennium for state employees, including most UW employees. UW Medical Center and Harborview employees would be exempt.

Information about the bill may be found here:

SB 5323 – 2021-22
Freezing wage and salaries and providing for furlough days during the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium. Sponsors: Rolfes, Braun, Padden

Note that this has not yet been signed in to law, it is still in its preliminary stages

The Washington state budget has direct implications for UW and professional staff. The Legislative Preview gives professional staff an opportunity to learn about the state budget, the impact on UW and professional staff, and the UW Legislative Agenda.

On November 19th, PSO hosted the 2021 Legislative Session Preview with special guest, University of Washington Director of State Relations, Joe Dacca. Joe thanked staff from across UW for providing subject matter expertise when he receives legislative inquiries. Here are some of the major takeaways from the session:

• The upcoming session will be very unique – many meetings and hearings will take place remotely. Removing this geographic barrier to participation will likely increase the number of people wanting to testify in committees and may make it more difficult to get meetings with elected officials.
• Increases in support for higher education and UW are unlikely. However, since UW has just returned to pre-Great Recession state funding, we hope that UW will not face major state funding cuts.
• UW Medicine will seek more funding to support the charity care it provides (especially in light of the financial difficulties COVID-19 has placed on hospital finances).
• Legislators see three UW efforts as of particular importance: UW Medicine’s proposed Behavioral Health Teaching Facility, Center for an Informed Public, and serving first generation students.

If you’re interested in engaging more directly in the 2021 session, contact PSO’s  Legislative Committee Chair Alex Bolton at psoboard@gmail.com during personal time on a personal device. You can learn more about how PSO advocates for professional staff through legislative engagement and outreach on our Advocacy page.

Join us Thursday, November 19th from 3:00 to 4:00 PM for a Legislative Preview. Joe Dacca, the Director of State Relations for UW, will be our featured speaker previewing the 2021 Washington State Legislative Session.
Topics will include the state budget, how it impacts the UW budget and professional staff, along with the UW Legislative Agenda.
Join us on zoom: https://washington.zoom.us/j/98032532268