News & Updates

It’s day 33 of session and we have just passed fiscal committee cutoff. At this point, bills that have not made it out of the Senate Ways and Means committee or the House Appropriations committee will not continue through the legislative process. While members are on the floor considering legislation, we have been tracking bills that impact the UW and reinforces the University’s legislative priorities. Additional updates to share:

2017 NCAA Championship Winning UW Women’s Rowing Team Recognized

On Wednesday, February 7, Sen. Wellman sponsored a resolution in recognition of the achievements of the University’s Women’s Rowing Team and 2017 CRCA Coach of the Year, Yasmin Farooq. Last year, the team swept all three grand finals, making them first program in 21 years of the NCAA Rowing Championship to accomplish this alethic triumph. In case you missed it, watch the resolution here, and read more about our champions here.

 

Senate Votes to Confirm Student Regent Goddard

That same evening, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm UW Law student Jaron Goddard to the University’s Board of Regents. Sen. Liias, member of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee, spoke in favor of her nomination. To watch the floor vote, click here. Congratulations, Regent Goddard!

Huskies on the Hill

Last Monday, January 29, Over 100 students and alumni joined together in Olympia for Huskies on the Hill. Students and alums spent the morning and afternoon meeting with legislators from the Senate and House. To read an article about the event, click here.

 

 

Additionally, all participants had an opportunity to meet with Gov. Jay Inslee, Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, and Secretary of State, Kim Wyman.

To further engage in the legislative process and bolster support for the ASUW legislative agenda, students and staff from the University’s Brotherhood Initiative also joined in the event.

We are now more than halfway through the 2018 legislative session. With the house of origin cutoff rapidly approaching next week, we are gearing up for President Cauce’s second visit to Olympia and looking forward to the release of the Senate’s proposed supplemental budget with the House to follow. Continue to read our blog and follow our social media for updates as we enter the final home stretch of the 2018 legislative session.

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.

In addition to the passage of the final 17-19 capital budget last Friday, weeks 2 and 3 of the 2018 legislative session has had the following highlights:

President Cauce Visits Olympia

On Tuesday, January 16 President Ana Mari Cauce made her first visit to Olympia for the 2018 legislative session. In the continued effort to champion the University’s legislative priorities, she met with Governor Jay Inslee and legislators in both the Senate and House. President Cauce also had the opportunity to meet and engage with UW students who are currently serving as interns for the session. Her visit concluded at the Council of Presidents (COP) reception. As COP Chair, President Cauce gave a warm welcome to all attendees as well as connected with other university presidents, higher education leaders, stakeholders, and advocates.

Committee Hearings for Regents

On the same day, the confirmation hearings of Regents Joel Benoliel and Jaron Goddard in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee occurred. As a part of the process, Regents Benoliel and Goddard provided opening statements about their commitments to service to the UW as well as answered questions asked by members of the committee.  Both were unanimously confirmed and our team couldn’t be more proud of Regents Benoliel and Goddard for their leadership. To watch the hearing, click here.

Legislative Testimony Highlight

In week 2, Ian Goodhew, Director of Government Relations for UW Medicine in partnership with Washington State University (WSU) testified in support of HB 2443 to add WSU’s college of medicine to the family medicine network in the House Health Care & Wellness committee. In case you missed it, click here to check out the hearing of the bill.

UW-Tacoma Advisory Board Day

Yesterday, Chancellor Pagano and members of the UW-Tacoma Advisory Board met with key legislators in the Senate and House to advocate for further support of the University’s tuition fund split request as well as funding for a UW-Tacoma pre-law program.

Heading into week 4, we’re rapidly approaching policy cutoff on Friday, February 2. We’ll continue to keep you updated on key events and the progress of our agenda.

To keep up with the latest from Olympia, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

Week 2 of the 2018 legislative session ended with the signing of the 2017-19 compromise biennial capital budget.

The University was able to secure funding for nearly all capital priorities as reflected in our agenda for the 2018 legislative session. For further details, direct your attention to the UW’s Office of Planning and Budgeting brief. The 2017-19 capital budget allocates over 80 million to the University in new state funding for capital projects, along with $70.8 million in appropriations from the UW Building Account. This is a great budget for the UW that will accelerate the University’s impact across the state and around the world.

Highlighted investments include:

Burke Museum

$24.2 million to complete construction of the Burke Museum which is on track to open in 2019.

Population Health Sciences Building

$15 million in support of construction of a collaborative facility to promote research in the health and well-being of global communities.

T-wing Health Sciences Building

$10 million for renovation and design of the Magnuson Health Sciences Teaching Center (T-wing) which will serve as an academic facility for the six schools of UW Health Sciences.

UW Bothell & Tacoma

$3.5 million have been allocated for the predesign and design of academic buildings to accommodate high demand programming our Bothell and Tacoma campuses.

CAMCET

$20 million to advance the research and innovation in clean energy to the Center for Advanced Materials and Clean Energies Technologies (CAMCET).

Parrington Hall

$10 million for the renovation of Parrington Hall, home to the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.

Seismic Improvements

$14.5 million in funds diverted from the University’s building account for seismic upgrades to designated buildings across the Seattle campus.

 

Stay tuned for summer updates by following us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

The 2018 legislative session began Monday, January 8 and our team has been kicking into full gear in Olympia. Here are highlights from our first week:

Regents and Trustees Day

Starting day two of session, over 40 Regents and Trustees representing two- and four-year public institutions across the state of Washington partnered together to meet with Governor Inslee and 30 legislators from the Senate and House. With seven of our Regents representing the University, Regents and Trustees advocated on key issues such as continued investment in the State Need Grant (SNG), and state financial support for public higher education.

Stop the Bleed

On January 10, a consortium of surgeons and trauma specialists from Harborview Medical Center, UW Medicine, and additional hospital care providers facilitated a “Stop the Bleed” training on the capitol campus to raise awareness of how to prevent loss of life in situations where significant blood loss occurs among individuals. Participating healthcare organizations plan to make a donation of several “bleeding control kits” to be placed around the capital campus in order to further education and awareness about the national “Stop the Bleed” campaign.

 

 

Legislative Testimony Highlights

Joe Dacca, Director of State Relations, testified on the University’s legislative agendas in both the Senate Ways and Means committee and House Appropriations committee. To review our legislative priorities, check out our previous blog post here.

Jillian Kilby, Associate Director of State Relations, testified in the House Higher Education Committee support of HB 2386 to provide room and board for college bound students who are homeless.

Faculty Presentations

On January 9, Dr. Amy Snover, Assistant Dean for Applied Research in the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, was invited to brief the Senate Energy, Environment & Technology committee on the impacts of climate change across Washington state. To watch Dr. Snover’s presentation, click here.

To keep up with the latest from Olympia, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

The 2018 legislative session officially begins next Monday, January 8. Considering that the upcoming session is a supplemental budget year, the University of Washington’s legislative priorities are narrow and reinforce the University’s core public education mission:

Operating Budget Priorities

Increase state investment to reverse recession-era cuts to the UW:

The UW is requesting an adjustment to the proportion, or “fund split,” of state-approved expenses funded by student tuition payments. We request that state funding be adjusted to cover 50 percent of expenses in the 2017–2019 state operating budget for employee compensation and central services. This would leave 50 percent to be covered by student tuition revenue, which would align the UW’s share of new expenses with all other public 4-year universities in the state.

Provide maintenance and operations funding for high-value state-funded facilities:

The UW requests $1.3 million in M&O funding in FY19 to provide essential maintenance, operation and student access to the state-funded Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering (formerly CSE II) on UW’s Seattle Campus, opening in December 2018.

For more details, review our 2018 operating budget legislative agenda here.

 

Capital Budget Priorities

Advance the bi-partisan biennial capital budget:

The UW urges swift approval of the 2017–2019 biennial state capital budget that was negotiated and proposed in the summer of 2017. The proposed capital budget contains critical investments that span UW’s three campuses.

Invest in facilities that produce high demand degrees, research and innovation:

The UW requests $600,000 in the supplemental capital budget for the College of Engineering for pre-design funding of a collaborative student-focused facility. UW Engineering has seen unprecedented demand from prospective Washington students and employers looking to hire local talent. This facility would accommodate growth, ensure learning experiences that create new opportunities for interdisciplinary research, and grow partnerships with private industry.

For more details, review our 2018 capital budget legislative agenda here.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the 2018 legislative session and agendas, please join our team and the Office of Planning & Budgeting (OPB) at our annual Legislative Session Kick-Off on Thursday, January 4, 2018 from 9:00am to 10:30am in the UW Tower Auditorium.

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

 

Last week, Governor Jay Inslee released his 2018 supplemental operating and capital budget proposals. The House and Senate supplemental budget proposals will be released during the 2018 legislative session, which begins on Monday, January 8, 2018.

For a detailed analysis of the budget, check out this brief published by the university’s Office of Planning and Budgeting.

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

Since the conclusion of the longest legislative session in Washington state history in July, the State Relations team has been using the interim as an opportunity to engage members, legislative staff, industry partners, and the campus community.

House Commerce & Gaming Visit to South Lake Union

In partnership with UW Medicine, our team organized a presentation and tour at the UW Medicine – South Lake Union location for members and staff of the House Commerce and

Gaming Committee on September 14. The group learned about the university’s cannabis research efforts from Dr. Nephi Stella and Dr. Beatriz Carlini.

Following the presentation, members and staff toured the Quellos High Throughput Screening Core facility with Dr. Timothy Martins, who discussed the unique research capabilities of the lab.

 

Drs. Carlini and Charles Chavkin were invited to follow up the tour with a presentation at a committee work session in Olympia on October 19.

House Higher Education Visit to Spokane

On September 27, six state representatives and three legislative staff members from the House Higher Education Committee visited University of Washington health sciences programs located in Spokane. The group started their time with the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program, a joint venture between the UW School of Dentistry and Eastern Washington University. UW and EWU faculty provided information about the program and student Arley Medrano described the valuable experiences he gained by being based in Eastern Washington and his plans to return to his hometown of Okanagan to practice after graduation. The committee also saw demonstrations of distance learning classroom technology, the dental lab and dental clinic spaces.

The legislators and staff then traveled to the Schoenberg Center on the Gonzaga University campus, where they learned about the UW School of Medicine partnership with Gonzaga University. UWSOM students Alex Hoffman, Mackenzie Rinaldi and Cheyenne Enevold described the valuable training experiences they gained in rural community health care settings across the state and their plans to return to those communities after they complete their training. The group was also able to participate in a “Care Across the Lifecycle” workshop session with students before spending an hour learning about the MEDEX Northwest physician assistant program with the new class of students (many of whom grew up in Spokane and Eastern Washington) and program administrators.

Engineering Showcase

On October 17, Federal and State Relations partnered with the College of Engineering to host an Engineering Showcase for legislators, staff, and industry partners to tour engineering labs and facilities. During the tour, guests had an opportunity to learn about innovative programs and research conducted by engineering departments from faculty and students.

The tour began in the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Lab where guests learned about solar cell polymers from Professor Christine Luscombe and saw student demonstrations on solar technology.

Next up was a tour of the Ubicomp Lab where Professor Shwetak Patel and students discussed their work in advancing healthcare screenings through smartphone technology. This included demonstrations of the HemaApp which measures hemoglobin concentration from a smartphone camera and BiliCam which uses smartphone technology to monitor jaundice in newborns.

While at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, Professor Ed Lazowska presented on the student and workforce demands in computer science, including how the university is working to address these issues and where continued investment is needed.

During lunch, guests were greeted by private sector representatives of the College’s Visiting Committee and heard from a student panel moderated by Dean of Engineering, Mike Bragg. Students shared their stories about what lead them to the college of engineering, the importance of support provided through programs like the Washington STate Academic RedShirt (STARS) program, and positive contributions they are making both at the university in and the community.

Following the student panel, guests toured the More Hall Structures Lab where Professor Jeff Berman and Professor Joe Wartmen shared the work being done on seismic retrofitting and challenges to advancing the field.

The Engineering Showcase concluded with a tour of the Boeing Advanced Research Center (BARC), led by Dave Polland and Kevin Bray. Students also demonstrated their use of virtual simulation technology and robotics to advance workplace safety at Boeing assembly plants.

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

Last Thursday marked the end of the 2017 State Legislative Session, which included three special sessions and lasted a record 193 days in total.  While the session included a number of victories for the UW, the Legislature adjourned last night without passing a compromise 2017-19 capital budget. To read more about the session and impacts to the UW, please visit President Cauce’s blog here.

Until a 2017-2019 capital budget is passed, the University will only have funding for ongoing projects that were included in previous capital budgets, as designated with the passage of PSSB 5965 last month.  As detailed in a brief published by our Office of Planning and Budgeting, this bill “reappropriates” unspent funding from the 2015-17 biennium, which will allow currently-funded projects to continue as planned. Without a new capital budget for the upcoming biennium, a number of proposed capital requests may be delayed, including the new Burke Museum.

The path forward remains unclear at this time, but the State Relations team will continue to engage with members and staff in Olympia and update this page as more information becomes available.

To keep up with the latest from Olympia, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

Late Friday night, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the 17-19 biennial compromise state operating budget (SSB 5883). Given the historic challenge in this session to fully fund basic education across the state of Washington, we’re proud that many of the legislative priorities of the University of Washington are reflected in the final budget. For detailed analysis of the budget, check out this brief published by the University’s Office of Planning and Budgeting.

Important investments of the final budget include:

Competitive Faculty/Staff Compensation

$13.1 million for general wage increases to partially fund three 2% increases (one in FY18 and two in FY19).

UW’s collective bargaining agreements are fully funded.

State Need Grant Expansion

$12 million is provided to expand SNG access to 900 additional eligible students across the state annually. $38 million is provided to adjust for resident undergraduate tuition increases for SNG recipients.

Funding High Demand Degrees

$2 million is included for the UW to increase resident undergraduate enrollment of students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  The UW is expected to increase STEM enrollment by approximately 60 students.

WWAMI Continuation

$5 million in new funding is provided to continue WWAMI programming for 20 additional students in their third and fourth years in Spokane and eastern Washington, in partnership with Gonzaga University. This funding increases third and fourth year cohorts to 60 students.

Sustainable Tuition Policy

The final budget maintains current policy and allows a 2.2% increase in FY18 and a 2.0% increase in FY19.

Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research

$4.5 million in funding is provided to the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) for faculty, core support, training programs, pilot grants, and Translational Bridge Awards.

Worker Safety Outreach and Research

The final budget restored $6 million in proposed cuts to UW’s Department of Environment and Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), which coordinates research, training, teaching, and consulting to prevent workplace related diseases and injuries in Washington state.

Special Olympics

$3.2 million in one-time funding is provided to help cover the UW’s costs associated with the 2018 Special Olympics USA games being held in Seattle in July 2018.

Passage of LET Tax Credit Legislation

Legislation passed on Friday, June 30 that will reinstate the leasehold excise tax (LET) credit for UW’s Metro Tract property beginning in 2022, which will increase revenues by approximately $2 million per year.

Despite making significant progress in a challenging session, we are concerned about the following items that are included in the final budget:

OFM Central Service Charge

The legislature passed along a charge for Office of Financial Management (OFM) central services, which means the UW will have to use $3 million in student tuition revenue to support OFM instead of the University’s academic mission

Tuition Wavier Authority

The budget reduces the UW’s state funding allocation by $2.59 million over the biennium, which is assumed to be offset by the UW reducing overall tuition waiver activity for graduate students, excluding veteran-related waivers

Now that the operating budget has been finalized, we’ll continue to work with members on our capital budget priorities. In the meantime, the Legislature recently passed PSSB 5965 also known as a capital reappropriations for the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium. This will fund ongoing capital projects from the previous biennium to ensure continuation of contracts and construction.

We’ll keep you posted on highlights of the final capital budget which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

Last, but certainly not least, the Office of State Relations would like to express our appreciation to President Ana Mari Cauce, the Board of Regents, the Office of Planning and Budgeting (OPB), UW Impact, UW Faculty Senate, our Tacoma and Bothell campuses, the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW), Graduate & Professional Student Senate (GPSS), and other faculty, students, and alumni who helped make the 2017 legislative session a success. Thank you for your advocacy and support!

To keep up with the latest from Olympia, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

Time has flown by as the State Relations team has finished the 2017 regular session, which officially concluded Sunday, April 23. Here are a few highlights as we head into special session:

We are excited to announce that Governor Jay Inslee signed into law our “critical care roster” legislation (SB 5631) on Tuesday. To read more about the bill, please check out our previous blog post.

The Senate and House released their proposed capital budgets. As noted in the Senate and House 2017-19 biennial budget briefs prepared by the UW Office of Planning & Budgeting (OPB), the Senate capital budget (SB 5086) appropriates $80.7 million in new funding to the university, while the House capital budget (HB 1075) currently appropriates $57.7 million.

In comparing both capital budgets, highlights include funding for:

Seismic improvements

UW request: $25 million

Senate proposed: $10 million

*House proposed: $3 million

*The House capital budget directs an additional $11.5 million from the UW Building Account to fund Seismic Improvements on campus.

Population Health Science Building

UW request: $20 million

Senate proposed: $15 million

House proposed: $10 million

Population Health Academic Facility (T-wing)

UW request: $10 million

Senate proposed: $10 million

House proposed: $5 million

UW Bothell Building Design

UW request: $3 million

Senate proposed: $0

House proposed: $3 million

UW Tacoma Building Predesign

UW request: $500,000

Senate proposed: $500,000

House proposed: $0

Parrington Hall Renovation

UW request: $10 million

Senate proposed: $10 million

House proposed: $0

Center for Advanced Materials and Clean Energy Technology (CAMCET)

UW request: $10 million

Senate proposed: $10 million

House proposed: $12.5 million

Burke Museum

UW request: $24.2 million

Senate proposed: $24.2 million

House proposed: $24.2 million

Additionally, the proposed House capital budget directs $7.5 million of UW Building Account funds to the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) II building.

In response to the proposed operating and capital budgets, President Cauce submitted what is known as a conference letter to key Senate and House leadership to reinforce the university’s legislative priorities.  The letter also advocated for sustainable tuition policy, raised concerns about proposed cuts to the Department of Environmental and Occupation Health Services, and for additional funding for the State Need Grant.

Next week, State Relations, in partnership with the Office of Planning & Budgeting and UW Medicine, will host a post-session update to campus on May 3 from 3:15PM-4:15PM in Gerberding 142. If you are faculty, staff, or a student, we would love for you to join us to engage in further discussion about the proposed budgets and other legislative info!

While we wait for the final operating and capital budgets to be negotiated, the State Relations team will be in contact with legislators and staff in Olympia as needed. We’ll also be preparing for upcoming summer and fall events, engaging with faculty and staff on campus, and trying to get more than five hours of sleep.

To keep up with the latest from Olympia, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.