News from Olympia: President Cauce meets with legislators

Posted on February 4, 2019March 11, 2020

It’s the start of week four of the 2019 Legislative Session and the UW community has been busy in Olympia. Here are some of the highlights:

President Cauce visits Olympia

On Tuesday, Jan. 22 President Ana Mari Cauce made her first visit to Olympia for the 2019 legislative session. She championed the UW’s legislative agenda as she met with leaders and legislators in both the Senate and House of Representatives. She also had the opportunity to participate in a TVW interview with WSU President, Kirk Schulz, on the Yes, It’s Possible campaign. The UW and WSU have teamed up on this campaign to spread the word to Washington families that public higher education is affordable and achievable. Her visit concluded with the Council of Presidents legislative reception. At the reception, President Cauce connected with other university presidents, higher education leaders, stakeholders, and advocates

Confirmation hearing for Regent Zhou

On the same day, the confirmation hearing of Regent Kaitlyn Zhou was held in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee. Regent Zhou provided testimony about her background and commitment to service to the UW. She was unanimously confirmed by the committee, which means her appointment will now move to the Senate floor for a vote. The UW community is proud of Regent Zhou and her leadership.

UW experts present before Senate & House committees

In week 1, Amy Snover, PhD, Director of the Climate Impacts Group and University Director of the NW Climate Adaption Science Center, briefed the Senate Energy, Climate, and Technology committee on the National Climate Assessment and the impacts to Washington state.

In week 2, Samuel Wasser, PhD, Director of the Center for Conservation Biology and Research Professor in the Dept. of Biology, presented before the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks committee on wolves in Washington and his team’s predator/prey research.

In week 3, Senait Habte, Assistant Director & Making Connections Program Manager at the UW Women’s Center, made a presentation to the House Innovation, Technology & Economic Development committee on the issue of equity in the tech center.

Our experts provided legislators with valuable information that will help inform decision making and the legislative process throughout session.

Legislative testimony highlight

Morgan Hickel, Associate Director of State Relations, testified before the Senate Ways & Means committee and House Capital Budget committee on the Governor’s proposed capital budget. She applauded the funding the Governor provided to construct a new health sciences education building in Seattle and encouraged legislators to support this request. She also highlighted our additional capital budget requests and asked legislators to include these important asks in their final budget.

News from Olympia: UW testifies before Senate Ways & Means

Posted on January 16, 2019March 11, 2020

Today is the third day of Washington State’s 2019 legislative session and the state relations team is fully in gear. Yesterday, Joe Dacca, Director of State Relations, testified before the Senate Ways & Means Committee on the Governor’s proposed operating budget. He focused his testimony on the importance of investing in the UW and our students. Joe also plans to testify before the House Appropriations Committee this week.

This legislative session is scheduled to last 105 days (until Apr. 28) to decide the 2019-21 state budget. Some of the big legislative topics will include behavioral health, affordable housing, homelessness, climate and taxes. Throughout session, the Office of State Relations will work with our campus partners to advance the UW’s legislative priorities.

Stay tuned for updates from the state relations team. Updates can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Gov. Inslee releases proposed 2019-21 biennial operating & capital budgets

Posted on December 18, 2018February 21, 2020

Gov. Jay Inslee released his proposed 2019-21 biennial operating and capital budgets on Thursday, Dec. 13. The proposal provides significant funding for student financial aid and the University of Washington, recognizing critical needs for foundational support, employee wage increases and student resources. The Governor’s budgets also invest heavily in the state’s behavioral health system, including planning a partnership with UW’s health science schools to increase the workforce and expand care.

Major operating and capital budget investments for the UW include:

$25.5M for Foundational Support to offset compensation and central services costs that exceed undergraduate operation fee revenue;
$16.9M for Employee Compensation;
$8.8M for Academic Program Enhancements and Student Support Services;
$2M for the Center for Advanced Materials and Clean Energy Technologies (CAMCET) facility; and
$70M for construction of the Health Sciences Education Building, which will be a modern, shared instructional facility for the six health sciences schools to meet demand and support innovative teaching methods.

The Governor’s budget proposal also recognized critical funding for UW Medicine:

$14M for UW Hospital Support to ensure Harborview and UW Medicine can continue their mission as the state’s primary teaching hospitals and “safety-net” health care providers;
$2M for UW Dental Support so UW Dental Clinics can also continue in their role as “safety-net” providers;
$2M for Mental Health Residencies; and
$2M to plan a state partnership with UW’s health science schools aimed at expanding the state’s workforce and clinical capacity through telemedicine and new clinical facilities.

Other notable components of the Governor’s budget include:

Fully funding the Washington College Promise (formerly State Need Grant) by FY22;
Statewide expansion of Career Connected Learning;
Ocean acidification response and sampling funding in connection with UW; and
ShakeAlert (i.e. Seismic) Monitoring Stations in coordination with UW.

The release of the Governor’s budget proposals represents the first step in a lengthy budget process. The Washington state House of Representatives and Senate will introduce their biennial budget proposals during legislative session. The 2019 legislative session begins on Monday, Jan. 14, and will end on or before Apr. 28, with the option of one or more 30-day special sessions.

To get additional details on the Governor’s budgets, click here to view the Office of Planning and Budgeting’s review.

WA House & Senate announce committee assignments after election results certified

Posted on December 13, 2018July 19, 2019

The 2018 General Election was held on Nov. 6 and certified by the Secretary of State on Dec. 6. There are almost 4.4 million registered voters in Washington State and voter turnout for this midterm election hit a historic high at almost 72 percent.

In Washington State, there are 98 House of Representative seats and 49 Senate seats. Since Nov. 2016, Democrats have controlled both the House (50-48) and Senate (25-24) by slim majorities. This election cycle, all 98 House seats were up for election and 25 of the Senate seats.

With the General Election results now certified, Democrats have gained seats in both state chambers and will therefore maintain control of the legislature. In the Senate, Democrats have picked up three seats, which brings the party division to 28 Democrats and 21 Republicans. In the House, Democrats have picked up seven seats, which brings the party division to 57 Democrats and 41 Republicans.

The General Election has also impacted legislative leadership and committee chairs. Rep. Frank Chopp (LD 43) will serve his last term as the Speaker of the House; a position he has held since 1999. Rep. Timm Ormsby (LD 3) will continue to serve as the chair of the Appropriations Committee and Rep. Drew Hansen (LD 23) will once again serve as the chair of the College & Workforce Development Committee. In the Senate, Sen. Andy Billig (LD 3-Spokane) will now serve as the Senate Majority Leader. Sen. Christine Rolfes (LD 23) will continue to serve as the chair of the Ways & Means Committee and Sen. Guy Palumbo (LD 1) has been selected to serve as the new chair of the Higher Education & Workforce Committee.

To view the House and Senate Democratic leadership teams and committee assignments, follow the links below:

To view the House and Senate Republican committee assignments, follow the links below:

The 2019 legislative session will being Monday, Jan. 14.

The UW’s 2019 state legislative agenda

Posted on November 13, 2018July 19, 2019

Public higher education provides the greatest opportunity for prosperity and well-being for individuals and communities, so it must be both affordable and of the highest quality. At the University of Washington, that belief is at the forefront of all we do.

The Washington State 2019 legislative session begins Jan. 14 and is scheduled to last 105 days to consider biennial operating and capital budgets for the state. During session, the Office of State Relations will work with our campus partners to advance the UW’s legislative priorities. Our 2019 legislative agenda focuses on investments that are critical to our ability to provide both access and excellence to students and communities across the state.

To view the UW’s 2019 legislative agenda in its entirety, click here. These priorities have been determined through an extensive process led by the Office of the President and Office of the Provost.

Early Results from WA State’s 2018 General Election

Posted on November 8, 2018February 21, 2020

The 2018 General Election was held on Nov. 6. Washington is one of the few states that votes entirely by mail, so ballots are still being tabulated. The final election results will be certified by the Secretary of State on Nov. 30.

There are almost 4.4 million registered voters in Washington State. At this time, more than two million ballots have been tallied, with an estimated 723,500 ballots left to be counted. This is a midterm election and voter turnout is high.

Washington State’s early results indicate that the Democrats will gain seats in both state chambers, which means they will maintain control of the legislature. In the House, Democrats are likely to gain six or seven seats, with 9 races currently too close to call. In the Senate, Democrats are likely to gain two or three seats, with three races too close to call. For the races too close to call, it may take days or weeks before the final outcomes are clear.

To track the legislative races in our state, click here.

There were also four statewide measures on the ballot:

Initiative 1631, which concerns pollution and proposes to enact a carbon emissions fee, is failing with 56 percent of the vote.
Initiative 1634, which would prohibit local governments from enacting taxes on certain grocery items, is passing with almost 55 percent of the vote.
Initiative 1639, which concerns firearms and would change gun ownership and purchase requirements, is passing with 60 percent of the vote.
Initiative 940, which concerns law enforcement and proposes additional police training and criminal liability in cases of deadly force, is passing with 59 percent of the vote.

To track Washington State’s 2018 General Election results, click here.

2018 Interim Highlights & Updates – May 2018 Edition

Posted on May 14, 2018May 14, 2018

Since concluding the 2018 legislative session on March 8, the State Relations team has been connecting members and staff from the legislature to engagement and outreach opportunities on campus as well as informing them of notable honors and innovative work accomplished by our students, staff and faculty.

To date, highlighted events attended by legislators and staff include:

UW College of Engineering Discovery Days

On April 19 and 20 over 1,500 UW faculty, staff and students showcased over 114 engineering exhibits to over 10,000 elementary and middle school students from across the state of Washington. We were pleased to have Sen. Guy Palumbo, Rep. Cindy Ryu, Rep. Shelley Kloba, Rep. Roger Goodman, Rep. Vandana Slatter and Rep. Nicole Macri participate in the many hands-on activities that demonstrated the exciting work of engineers alongside the visiting schools from their districts.

Population Health Groundbreaking Ceremony

Senate and House capital budget leaders Sen. David Frockt and Rep. Steve Tharinger joined representatives from the UW and the Gates Foundation to break ground on the new Population Health building on April 25. The building will be the new headquarters for the Population Health Initiative, which addresses challenges around human health, environmental resilience, and social and economic equity.

Made possible by a $210 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and $15 million in funding from the Legislature, the Population Health building is located on the southeast corner of 15^th Avenue NE and NE Grant place.

To review the 2016-18 Population Health Community Report click here.

Senate Law & Justice Committee Work Session

On May 4, Senators and staff of the Law & Justice committee held a work session to discuss the statute of limitations for felony sex offenses at the UW School of Law.

In case you missed the work session, you can watch it by clicking here as well as review the agenda and materials from the work session here.

Washington State Mental Health Summit

On May 8, the UW hosted the 2018 Mental Health Summit in the Husky Union Building (HUB). Led by Dr. Jürgen Unützer, elected officials, health care providers, and staff representing local, state, and federal governments had the opportunity to discuss innovative ways to transform mental health care in Washington state. Participants were also encouraged to collaborate directly with panelists on areas including perinatal mental health, mental health literacy for youth, family support, and using technology for training practitioners.

Additionally, key communications sent to members highlighted the following campus achievements and projects:

Husky 100

Each year, the University of Washington recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses from diverse areas of study. The distinction of “Husky 100” is awarded to student leaders who go the extra mile in applying their educational experiences to make a difference on campus and in their communities. Based on the students’ legislative district, members were notified of the honorary distinction of those students who reside in their communities.

To read more about the Husky 100, click here.

CoMotion Labs – Electric Dream Factory Redefining Reality

Members and staff on the Senate Energy, Environment & Technology committee and the House Technology & Economic Development committee were encouraged to check out the immersive article Redefining Reality. The story features the Electric Dream Factory (a local virtual reality movie startup) that is using CoMotion’s services to change storytelling through virtual, augmented and mixed reality to create a new kind of viewing experience.

To learn more about the Electric Dream Factory and CoMotion Labs, click here.

To keep up with the latest from State Relations, check out our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

Legislature Adjourns the 60-Day Session

Posted on March 9, 2018May 14, 2019

Late Thursday evening, the legislature passed the 2017-19 supplemental operating and capital budgets to Governor Inslee, marking the end of the 60-day legislative session. Though this session was short and intensely rigorous, the UW scored major victories in the final compromise budget. To read more details about the investments appropriated to the University, review the Final Compromise – 2018 Supplemental Operating and Capital Budgets brief prepared by our Office of Planning and Budgeting (OPB).

Highlighted investments in the supplemental operating budget include:

Adjustment to the UW’s Tuition Fund Split

UW Request: $9.5 million

Final Budgeted: $9 million

Maintenance and Operations for the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering (formerly CSE II)

UW Request: $1.3 million

Final Budgeted: $1 million

Additional Higher Education & UW Investments

Proposed funding to complete a doubling of enrollment at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering:

Final Budgeted: $3 million

Proposed funding for the State Need Grant to help low-income students who are eligible to receive funding, but remain unserved:

$18.5 million is provided to serve approximately 4,600 additional students. The legislature intends to eliminate the waiting list over four years, serving all eligible students beginning in FY 2022.

Highlighted investments in the supplemental capital budget include:

College of Engineering Predesign

UW Request: $600,000

Final Budgeted: $600,000

Burke Museum Escalation & Financing Costs

UW Request: $700,000

Final Budgeted: $700,000

Now that the 2018 legislative session has concluded, the State Relations team will be moving our operations back to the Seattle campus. We look forward to hosting a post-session update on Tuesday, March 27 from 12:30pm to 1:30pm in Gerberding 142 in partnership with OPB. If you are available, we would love for you to join us to engage in further discussion about the final supplemental budgets and to answer any other legislative questions you may have!

Last, but certainly not least, the Office of State Relations would like to express our appreciation to everyone in the UW community, including our legislative representatives across all three campuses and our amazing alumni, who helped make the 2018 legislative session a success. Thank you for your advocacy and support!

To keep up with the latest from State Relations, check out our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

Senate & House Release 2017-19 Supplemental Operating and Capital Budget Proposals

Posted on February 27, 2018May 14, 2019

Last week, both the Senate and the House released their versions of the 2017-19 supplemental operating and capital budget proposals. For further details about the proposed budgets and their impact on the university, read the Senate and House Leadership 2018 Supplemental Budget Proposals brief prepared by the UW Office of Planning & Budgeting.

Highlights of the Senate and House proposed operating budgets are as follows:

University Priority: Adjustment to the UW’s Tuition Fund Split

UW Request: $9.5 million

Senate Proposed: $9 million

House Proposed: $9.5 million

University Priority: Maintenance and Operations for the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering (formerly CSE II)

UW Request: $1.3 million

Senate Proposed: $1 million

House Proposed: $1 million

Additional Higher Education & UW Investments

Proposed funding for additional computer science enrollments at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering:

Senate Proposed: $3 million

House Proposed: $3 million

Proposed funding for the State Need Grant to help low-income students who are eligible to receive funding, but remain unserved:

Senate Proposed: $9.8 million to provide additional funding to 2,500 students

House Proposed: $25 million to provide additional funding to 6,200 students, with additional funding obligated in future years to eliminate the SNG backlog.

A critical part of the university’s legislative priorities on the capital budget was the passage of the 2017-19 biennial capital budget. On January 19, Gov. Inslee signed the 2017-19 capital budget, which you can read about here. Along with the passage of the capital budget, additional requests were communicated to the legislature.

Highlights of the Senate and House proposed capital budgets are as follows:

University Priority: College of Engineering Predesign

UW Request: $600,000

Senate Proposed: $600,000

House Proposed: $600,000

University Priority: Burke Museum Escalation & Financing Costs

UW Request: $700,000

Senate Proposed: $0

House Proposed: $700,000

Additional UW Investments

Proposed funding for the university’s major infrastructure for seismic upgrades within the UW’s building account:

Senate Proposed: $3 million

House Proposed: $3 million

The final budget is expected to be released by the end of session on March 8, 2018. While we wait for the final operating and capital budgets to be negotiated, the State Relations team will continue to be in contact with legislators and staff regarding key bills and the final budget.

President Cauce Visits Olympia & Other Highlights from Week 6

Posted on February 16, 2018February 16, 2018

With the upcoming release of the Senate and House supplemental budget proposals next week, the State Relations team has been strategically planning and working to push the university’s legislative agendas. In lieu of the impending budget proposals, we were proud to host President Ana Mari Cauce in Olympia to reinforce the importance of bipartisan investment in the University of Washington.

President Cauce Visits Olympia

On Thursday, President Ana Mari Cauce made her second visit to Olympia for the 2018 legislative session. She met with Gov. Inslee, all four caucus leaders as well as key budget writers from the Senate and House. President Cauce concluded her visit with dinner with several Presidents from the community and technical colleges.

Undergraduate Research Day

On Tuesday, our team was proud to host Dr. June Spector, Associate Professor from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Gabino Abarca, UW student and McNair Scholar, at Undergraduate Research Day. This event highlighted the dynamic research performed by undergraduate students and faculty from all six public baccalaureate college and universities across the state.

Lieutenant Governor, Cyrus Habib, kicked off the day by meeting with all event participants.

To follow, Sen. Kevin Ranker, Chair of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee, sponsored a resolution in recognition of the research and contributions made to the state by all six public, four-year institutions. In case you missed the resolution, click here to watch.

After the resolution, Dr. Spector and Gabino showcased their work which focused on the improvement of worker safety and productivity by studying how heat affects Washington’s agricultural workforce.

From President Cauce’s visit to Undergraduate Research Day, this week has given our team the opportunity to showcase some of the best of UW. The legislature also kept things busy with lots of bills being passed off the floor before the House of Origin floor cutoff that happened on Wednesday. Any bills that didn’t cross over to the other chamber are not likely to be passed before session ends on March 8.

Early next week, we are looking forward to the release of the Senate and House supplemental budget proposals. Stay tuned for our updates and analysis from the university’s Office of Planning & Budgeting.