This afternoon the Senate Ways and Means Committee passed out SB 5460 which would freeze a number of budget items, including hiring, travel, equipment purchases, and contracts (with limited exceptions). Thanks to Sen. Ed Murray, who offered amendments to provide needed flexibility to the UW to manage the effects of the freezes; those amendments were not accepted in committee but discussions are ongoing. The bill could reach the floor later this week.
This afternoon, House budget writers rolled out their approach to the supplemental spending plan. The House proposal is currently being reviewed by our budget office for its effects — we will post more information here as it becomes available.
Also, the UW’s two request bills have been introduced and are awaiting public hearings. One bill (HB 1640, SB 5526) would protect private investment information received by the UW endowment fund. The other bill (HB 1641, SB 5527) would modify the public works process to improve the efficiency of building projects. We appreciate all of the sponsors for signing on to these bills.