The 105-day legislative session is more than halfway over. Yesterday marked the house of origin cutoff, meaning bills that did not pass out of the chamber they originated in are now considered dead unless they are necessary to implement the budget (NTIB). Any proposed legislation that passed off the floor in their house of origin will now move to the appropriate policy committee in the opposite chamber for consideration. Opposite house policy cutoff is coming up on Mar. 26, and legislative session is scheduled to conclude on Apr. 25.
Today, President Cauce met with legislative leaders to keep the UW’s priorities top-of-mind as the House and Senate draft their budget proposals. She also had the opportunity to share how the University continues to provide support to local communities and the state through the ongoing pandemic.
On Mar. 17, the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will release their quarterly state revenue report showing the state’s current economic health and future revenue projections. The state’s economy has seen improvements in recent months, but still shows sizeable impacts from economic disruptions due to COVID-19. The revenue forecast will guide budget decisions in the legislature. The House and Senate budget proposals are likely to be released the week of Mar. 22 following the revenue forecast. After the proposals are released, negotiations toward compromise budgets will begin.
The Office of State Relations will hold a brief update on the legislative session on Apr. 2* from 1–1:30 p.m. State Relations Director Joe Dacca will share the latest news from Olympia, review the budget proposals, and provide an update on several bills, including SB 5323. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions. To register for this meeting, click here (UW NetID is required). Questions are encouraged to be submitted in advance of the meeting to extrnaff@uw.edu.
*UPDATE: The Senate and House plan to release their budget proposals on Mar. 25 and 26 so the legislative update was rescheduled to Apr. 2.