News & Updates

Gov. Jay Inslee released his 2021 supplemental, 2021-23 operating, and 2021-23 capital budget proposals last week. The Governor’s proposed biennial operating budget includes $57.6 billion in spending focused heavily on public health and economic recovery.

The budget commits an additional $397 million to the state’s public health system for personal protective equipment, testing supplies and lab costs, contact tracing, epidemiology work, and COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Investments to improve data infrastructure were also incorporated to better inform future public health decision making.

Inslee’s proposal centers equity-focused and climate policies, and his economic recovery plans prioritize protecting workers, improving the state’s unemployment system, and expanding basic needs assistance and job skills training. He also aims to significantly invest in capital projects around the state to create new jobs.

The state’s revenue projections are down more than $3 billion over the biennium compared to pre-pandemic levels. To balance the 2021 budget, the governor proposes utilizing the state’s “Rainy Day Fund.” For future biennia, his plans implement cost saving measures like omitting most state employee wage increases and requiring furloughs, and would also raise new revenue through a capital gains tax and tax on health insurers.

Recognizing that the state’s revenue remains uncertain, the UW’s 2021 legislative agenda prioritizes preserving current state funding levels to avoid significant harm to students, faculty and staff, and the academic and administrative units that serve our students and generate billions of dollars in annual research and economic activity for the state. At the same time, securing additional funding for UW Medicine as they respond to the pandemic is critical to its continued success and future viability.

The Governor’s budget proposal includes significant support for the University’s legislative priorities with major investments including:

• $60M for UW Medicine in FY21 to offset costs associated with COVID-19 response efforts and ensure continued operations;
• $56M per year in ongoing and expanded funding for safety-net clinical care at UW Medical ($55M) and UW Dentistry ($1M) clinics;
• $2.4M over the biennium to ramp-up planned child psychiatry fellowships and psychiatry residencies;
• $2.3M over the biennium for the UW’s medical school partnership with Gonzaga University to provide Spokane and eastern Washington medical students with a new, state-of-the-art learning space;
• $965K starting in FY23 for maintenance and operations for the state-funded Health Sciences Education Building at UW Seattle.

Despite these promising investments, the budget would require furloughs and suspend regular merit increases for University staff throughout the 2021-23 biennium. The Office of State Relations will gather more information in the coming weeks and work with campus partners to share feedback on this proposal.

In addition, Inslee’s capital budget proposal fully funds the UW’s capital requests:

• $45.4M to construct an interdisciplinary teaching and research facility for the College of Engineering in Seattle;
• $36M to construct a new business and engineering building at UW Tacoma;
• $5M in design funding for phase 2 of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center renovation and replacement;
• $3M in design funding for renovation of Anderson Hall in Seattle, and;
• $191.25M to construct a new Behavioral Health Teaching Facility on the UW Medical Center-Northwest campus.

Overall, the Office of External Affairs was thrilled to see the investments the Governor proposed for our students and UW Medicine. The release of the Governor’s budget proposals represents the first step in the budget process. The House of Representatives and Senate will introduce their budget proposals during legislative session, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, Jan. 11 and will run for 105 consecutive days.

For additional details, read the Washington State Office of Financial Management’s budget and policy highlights and see the brief prepared by the Office of Planning & Budgeting on their Briefs page.

The 2020 Washington state general election results were certified by Secretary of State Kim Wyman on Dec. 3 with voter turnout high at just above 84 percent. Democrats will retain their majorities in both the House of Representatives (57-41) and Senate (28-21).

With the election now over, Democrats and Republicans have made changes to leadership and committee assignments. Sen. John Braun (legislative district 20) will now serve as the Senate Republican Leader, taking over for Sen. Mark Schoesler (LD 9) who announced his step down from leadership in late November. Sen. Andy Billig (LD 3) will continue to serve as Senate Majority Leader, and Rep. Laurie Jinkins (LD 27) and Rep. J.T. Wilcox (LD 2) have been re-elected by their caucuses to serve as the Speaker of the House and House Minority Leader respectively.

On the Senate Ways & Means Committee, Sen. Lynda Wilson (LD 17) has been newly selected to serve as Ranking Minority Member and Sen. Christine Rolfes (LD 23) will return as chair. The Appropriations Committee leaders remain the same with Rep. Timm Ormsby (LD 3) serving as chair and Rep. Drew Stokesbary (LD 31) as ranking member.

The House College & Workforce Development Committee will also see changes in 2021. Rep. Vandana Slatter (LD 48) will chair the committee and Rep. Kelly Chambers (LD 25) will serve as ranking member. The Senate higher education committee will once again see Sen. Emily Randall (LD 26) as chair and Sen. Jeff Holy (LD 6) as ranking member.

To view the House and leadership members and committee assignments, follow the links below:

• Senate Democratic leadership & committee assignments
• Senate Republican leadership & committee assignments
• House Democratic leadership & committee assignments
• House Republican leadership & committee assignments

The 2021 legislative session begins Monday, Jan. 11 and will convene for 105 days.

This morning the Office of State Relations launched it’s new and improved UW in Your Community website. Since 2010, the site has been dedicated to demonstrating the impact the University has on every legislative district in Washington state. This year’s update now highlights UW students and alumni, over 40 unique programs, and some of the partnerships between tribal nations and the University.

As a public university, the UW is deeply committed to serving the state and collaborating with partners from around the world to bring knowledge and discover home to benefit Washingtonians. We invite you to visit the site and discover the many ways Husky students, researchers, and alumni are making an impact in your district and around the state. If you do not know which legislative district you live in, you can find it by visiting the state’s district finder.

Consider sharing the website with your networks using the hashtags #UWInYourCommunity and #WALeg.

The latest economic and revenue forecast released by the Washington State Economic and Revenue Council on Nov. 18 projects revenue collections will increase by more than $634 million for the 2019-20 state budget and $328 million for the 2021-23 biennium, bringing the state’s revenue shortfall resulting from COVID-19 to $2.4 billion. Although this remains a large deficit, it reflects a much improved economic position compared to the previously predicted $9 billion deficit at the onset of the pandemic. Legislators will also have a $3 billion “Rainy Day” reserve account at their disposal as they begin the budget drafting process in January.

The state also saw a slight improvement – though slower than expected – in employment numbers. Public and private-sectors added 18,200 jobs in September and October, and the unemployment rate declined to six percent from the high of 16.3 percent in April.

This forecast accounted for the recent restrictions announced by Governor Jay Inslee, but as we have seen over the last nine months, uncertainty around the virus makes economic predictions difficult. We can expect the state’s economy to remain tenuous as long as the pandemic persists with repercussions lasting for months and years after. However, the November forecast provides some positive economic news as legislative session looms.

Next month the Governor will release his budget proposals — representing the first step in the lengthy 2021-23 biennial budget process. The State House of Representatives and Senate will reconvene for the 2021 legislative session on Jan. 11, which is scheduled to last 105 days. Legislators face tough economic and public health challenges as they work to balance the budget and four-year outlook.

To view the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council’s complete November report, click here.

The 2020 General Election was held Nov. 3, and while votes continue to trickle in, voter turnout in Washington state is expected to exceed 80 percent. As one of the few states that votes almost entirely by mail, ballots will continue to be tabulated over the next several weeks. All ballots sent by mail must be postmarked by Nov. 3 to be counted. Final election results will be certified by the Secretary of State on or before Dec. 3.

Washington state’s legislature consists of 98 seats in the House of Representatives, and 49 seats in the Senate. This election cycle, all 98 House seats and 26 of the Senate seats were up for election. Democrats currently have the majority in the House (57-41) and Senate (28-21).

Early election results indicate that Democrats might see a slight boost to their majorities in both chambers. However, several races are still too close to call, and it will take time before the final outcomes become clear. To track the legislative races, click here.

Also on the ballot were nine statewide executive seats – Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Attorney General, Commissioner of Public Lands, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Insurance Commissioner. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee was elected to a rare third term over challenger Loren Culp, and former Congressman Denny Heck will now serve as the state’s Lt. Governor. Check out the statewide election results here.

New elected officials will assume office the second Monday in January, which is the start of the 2021 legislative session. The upcoming legislative session will be unlike any other due to the ongoing pandemic. New protocols – including remote testimony – will be implemented to ensure the safety and health of lawmakers, staff, agency officials, and the public. The Capitol building will be closed to the public and lobbyists and lawmakers are expected to convene in a mostly virtual setting. If they must meet in-person, strict safety procedures will be adhered to.

More information regarding protocols for the 2021 legislative session will be available later this fall. Stay tuned!

The UW 2021-23 legislative agenda

Every year, the University of Washington submits decision packages to the state outlining budget requests for the upcoming legislative session. Recognizing the challenges facing the state due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s decision package prioritizes preserving current state funding levels for the UW to avoid significant harm to student financial aid, staff positions and salaries, and the essential academic and administrative units that serve our students, build our state’s workforce, and generate billions of dollars in annual research and economic activity for the state.

The University will also focus on securing critical support for UW Medicine given their central role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing delivery of over $700 million in annual uncompensated care for our state’s most vulnerable patients.

The unprecedented events of 2020 shine a spotlight on the essential role of the UW and UW Medicine in our state. However, the historic investments made in public higher education and UW Medicine during the 2019-20 biennium are at risk due to the impact of COVID-19 on state revenue collections. The UW’s legislative agenda reflects this reality. It is minimal and focuses on what the UW and UW Medicine need most to continue to operate and serve our students, patients, and the state.

The UW – along with all state agencies – was also asked by the state to model the impacts of a 15 percent reduction to our budget, which is reflected in the decision packages. The UW asks the state to avoid the deep and devastating budget cuts that happened during the Great Recession.

To learn more about the UW’s 2021 state legislative agenda, click here.

 

Legislative engagement: capital budget briefing

Given the unprecedented year, the Office of State Relations took the opportunity to connect with capital budget leaders and staff to discuss and answer questions about the UW’s upcoming capital budget projects and requests. Led by UW Facilities, the presentation provided information about the University’s capital budget process and priorities for the 2021 legislative session across its three campuses. An additional briefing was hosted by the UW Medicine’s Office of Government Relations for the new Behavioral Health Teaching Hospital.

During difficult economic times, state capital projects are often viewed as an economic driver. With this in mind, the UW’s 2021 capital budget requests have not been reduced and will prioritize the following projects:

• $45.4M to construct a new interdisciplinary teaching and research facility for the College of Engineering in Seattle;
• $36M to construct a new business and engineering building at UW Tacoma;
• $5M in design funding for phase 2 of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center renovation and replacement;
• $3M in design funding to plan renovation needs for Anderson Hall in Seattle, and;
• $191.75M to build a new state-of-the-art Behavioral Health Teaching Facility.

Read more on the UW’s capital budget requests here.

 

Legislative engagement: Huskies from Home webinar series

Legislators and staff have participated in a series of virtual events hosted by the UW Office of External Affairs showcasing how the University and our students, faculty, and staff are adapting to the ongoing pandemic. As we began an unprecedented fall quarter at the UW, the Office of External Affairs invited elected officials and staff to learn more about the current Husky experience.

During the first webinar, UW leaders highlighted the UW’s COVID-19 response efforts and decision making process. They shared the challenges our students are facing and the ways the University is working to help ensure students continue to have access to the services and support they need.

The second event provided an overview of the UW’s fall quarter enrollment numbers and trends, which have been frequently requested by legislators and staff. The UW Office of Admissions also provided information about the University’s holistic admissions process, including recent changes to admission requirements.

The third webinar focused on the significant impact the pandemic has had on the UW’s research enterprise. Presentations provided insight into how the pandemic has shaped the broad portfolio of research occurring at the University.

Thank you to the elected officials and staff who participated!

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UW student engagement hub opens Oct. 31

Passed during the 2020 legislative session, Senate Bill 6313 requires all Washington state public higher education institutions to host a nonpartisan student engagement hub to increase opportunities for young voters. The hub is operated by the King County Auditor’s Office and allows voters to register in person, print their ballots and voter registration materials, and return their ballot.

The UW’s student engagement hub at Dempsey Indoor Facility will be open to students and the public starting on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Dempsey Indoor Facility is located on Walla Walla Road, Seattle, WA 98105. Hub hours of operation include:

Saturday, Oct. 31           10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 2              8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Election Day, Nov. 3       8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

For directions and parking information, click here.

On Sept. 23, the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released their newest economic and revenue update, which estimates the state’s General Fund revenue collections will be $2.2 billion higher than what was forecasted in June for the current 2019-21 budget cycle. State revenue collections between Aug. 11 and Sept. 10 were $319.9 million (22.5%) higher than the quarterly June forecast, and cumulative collections are now $962.8 million (20.5%) higher than projected.

This is welcome news following the Council’s June quarterly revenue report, which estimated an astounding $4.5 billion revenue shortfall for the current biennium due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington employment numbers have also seen an improvement since the unemployment rate high of 16.3 percent in April. As of August, nearly half the jobs lost in March and April have been recovered and the unemployment rate has declined to 8.5 percent. Defying June predictions, there are now 81,800 more employed individuals than expected.

Economic and revenue forecasting remains challenging due to the unknown and constantly changing variables resulting from the ongoing pandemic. Using current data, total General Fund revenues are now projected at about $50.4 billion for the current 2019-21 budget cycle. This would leave the state with a net $760 million surplus at the end of the budget cycle on June 30, 2021. Revenue collections remain below pre-pandemic levels but are moving in the right direction and have seen a significant improvement from the June forecast.

Washington state will continue to face challenges over the next few months and years due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic. Due to fiscal concerns, the state has implemented a number of cost saving measures and has asked agencies, including the University of Washington, to identify savings options in their 2021-23 budget requests.

The next quarterly revenue forecast is scheduled for Nov. 18 and will provide a better picture of the state’s economic health.

To view the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council’s complete September report, click here.

Sen. David Frockt and the deans of the UW’s six health science schools (Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Social Work) helped break ground on the new Health Sciences Education Building on Aug. 27. Slated to open in May 2022, the four-story building will serve 8,000 students across the six health science schools, which are ranked among the highest in the nation. 

The current health sciences facilities were originally constructed in the 1970s and operate well beyond capacity, with mostly original infrastructure and an inflexible learning environment. The new building will facilitate and encourage interdisciplinary team-based learning. It will also further modernize and increase the UW’s health sciences workforce training capacity. The UW projects the space will allow for a 17 percent enrollment increase, in addition to continuing education for current health-care professionals across the state.

For more information about the building and its construction, click here.

Thank you to Sen. Frockt, the Washington State Legislature, and UW donors for your support in making this building possible.

The 2020 primary election was held yesterday, Aug. 4. Washington’s top-two primary system allows voters to choose any candidate running in each race, regardless of political party. The two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election on Nov. 3.

There are more than 4.6 million registered voters in Washington who vote entirely by mail. While ballots will continue to be collected and counted over the next several weeks, the state is already seeing higher voter turnout rates than the 2016 primary election. The election results will be certified by the Secretary of State by Aug. 21.

The Washington State House of Representatives has 98 seats and the Senate has 49. Democrats currently control both the House (57-41) and Senate (28-21). This election cycle, all 98 House seats are up for election, as are 26 of the Senate seats. Also on the ballot are the state’s 10 U.S. Representative seats and all statewide positions, including Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Attorney General, Commissioner of Public Lands, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Insurance Commissioner.

To view the results, click here. They are updated daily until Aug. 18.