It’s day 26 of the 105-day legislative session.
David Schumacher moves forward in Senate confirmation process for UW Board of Regents
David Schumacher was appointed by former Governor Jay Inslee to serve on the UW Board of Regents. His appointment is now subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
As the first step in the Senate confirmation process, Schumacher testified before the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee to encourage them to support his confirmation. In his testimony, he shared that he is a native of Washington and Seattle, and that attending the UW was always his goal for higher education. As a first-generation college student, Schumacher went on to earn two degrees from the UW and viewed his time there as a foundational part of his life. After graduating, he took a summer internship in Olympia, where he ultimately worked for 35 years. He spent 15 years staffing the Senate Ways & Means Committee and later served as the budget director for former Governor Inslee.
Schumacher concluded his testimony by expressing that being appointed to the UW Board of Regents is a dream come true, and he feels deeply honored to serve the University.
Following his testimony, Committee Chair T’wina Nobles expressed her and her colleagues’ gratitude for Schumacher’s service and their enthusiasm to support his appointment. The committee voted unanimously in favor of his appointment, which will now move to the Senate floor for consideration and a vote by the entire body.
UW Bothell Chancellor advocates for expanding STEM programs and student support services
UW Bothell Chancellor Kristin Esterberg visited Olympia to advocate for state funding to support campus growth in high-demand STEM programs and student services. In response to increasing demand from students and local employers who need a skilled workforce, the campus aims to expand enrollment in emerging technology fields like artificial intelligence, computer science, data visualization, data science, and data analytics. State appropriations will allow UW Bothell add 108 degrees annually by fiscal year 2028.
Additionally, UW Bothell is seeking funding to enhance student support services, which are fundamental to student academic success and wellbeing. The campus proposes expanding on-campus mental health services and adding five new behavioral health provider positions, addressing both student needs and the state’s behavioral health workforce shortage.
These investments are key to sustaining UW Bothell’s commitment to providing an innovative, supportive educational environment for its students and providing the surrounding community with a local and skilled workforce.
*Picture: UWB Chancellor Kristin Esterberg, Rep. Osman Salahuddin, Ryan McIrvin
UW seeks state support to boost computer science degree production
Magdalena Balazinska, UW Bill & Melinda Gates Chair of Computer Science & Engineering, and Ed Lazowska, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair Emeritus, visited Olympia this week to champion the University’s request to fund an additional 340 enrollments and 100 annual graduates in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, with a focus on prioritizing Washington residents and students from traditionally underserved communities.
This request is the third phase of a four-biennium plan to increase capacity at the Allen School by 400 annual degrees, responding to the extraordinary demand from student and employers.
The 2023 Washington State Higher Education & Labor Market Report forecasts an annual gap of more than 12,000 in the next decade between job openings in computer and information technology requiring a bachelor’s or graduate-level education and the number of graduates available to fill those roles. Increasing enrollment and graduates at the Allen School would help with this growing demand. Allen School graduates are already contributing to the state’s workforce, filling full-time positions at 139 companies across Washington.
Student demand for the Allen School also remains strong, with it being the most requested major among first-year and transfer applicants.
Notably, state funding for this request will be bolstered by internal and external investments in AI degree programs and research at the UW.
*Picture: Ed Lazowska, Sen. Vandana Slatter, Magdalena Balazinska
Critical deadline ahead: House-of-Origin policy cutoff is February 21
The house-of-origin policy cutoff is in exactly two weeks, on Friday, Feb. 21.
In order to become Washington state law, bills must follow a prescribed path. Legislation is first introduced in the appropriate policy committee (e.g., Higher Education & Workforce Development). If it passed out of the policy committee and impacts the state’s budget, it then moves to a fiscal committee (e.g., Appropriations). Afterwards, it proceeds to the Rules Committee, where a committee member must pull it for consideration by the entire body of the House of Representatives or Senate. If the bill advances through its chamber of origin, it follows the same process in the opposite chamber.
Throughout the process, there are designated cutoff dates for each step. If a bill does not make it through the process by specified cutoff dates, it is considered dead, unless its necessary to implement the budget (NTIB). Therefore, if bills are not voted out of their house-of-origin policy committee by Feb. 21, they will be dead unless they are NTIB.
The UW is tracking and engaging on a number of bills this session, some of which include:
- House Bill (HB) 1298 / Senate Bill (SB) 5158 concerns student athlete insurance.
- HB 1360 / SB 5451 concerns advancement of quantum economic development.
- HB 1394 / SB 5239 concerns retention of hospital medical records.
- HB 1557 / SB 5308 codifies the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Programs and requires student notifications.
- HB 1552 extends the fee on real estate broker licenses to fund the Washington center for real estate research and adjusting the fee to account for inflation.
- HB 1755 exempts elective percutaneous coronary intervention performed in certain hospitals owned or operated by a state entity from certificate need requirements.
- SB 5275 modifies funding and award levels for the passport to careers program and eligibility for the Washington College Grant.
- SB 5355 improves safety at institutions of higher education while supporting student survivors of sexual assault.
- SB 5658 concerns the workforce education investment account.
To find information about bills, visit the Washington State Legislature’s website.
Questions?
The Office of State Relations remains in Olympia throughout the session to advocate on behalf of the UW. For questions on the UW’s legislative priorities or advocacy efforts, please reach out to Morgan Hickel at mhickel@uw.edu.