News & Updates

SB 5734, which allows universities to set tuition levels for graduate and out-of-state students has passed the House on a 53 to 44 vote.  As amended in the House it would extend the authority for four years and it would require a performance audit of the four-year schools.  The bill now returns to the Senate for further action.

On a 50 to 47 vote the House just passed SHB 2344.  The bill would suspend the 7 percent cap on increases for resident undergraduate tuition and allow lawmakers to set tuition as part of the budget process for the next two years.  Under an amendment adopted on the floor the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) would conduct a performance audit of the state’s four-year schools.  The bill now goes to the Senate.  Still waiting on the House Floor Calendar is SSB 5734 which would extend tuition setting authority for graduate and out-of-state students.

Budget negotiations continue on both the operating and capital budgets.  While many major issues have been agreed to, there are still significant differences that must be bridged.  Lawmakers also continue to work through bills in dispute and those needed to implement the budget.

The House Health and Human Services Appropriations committee has moved forward a proposal to put a temporary sales tax increase on the ballot this fall to offset some of the proposed health care budget cuts.  The next step would be a floor vote in the House; predicting the timing of any action is almost impossible at this point.  We will continue to post key developments here as they occur.

Also, this morning’s Seattle Times has a story on how federal stimulus money may benefit research projects.  As the story notes, this will not offset any of the cuts being discussed in state support but nonetheless it is a testament to the quality of research done at the UW.

ESB 5925 cleared the legislature today as the Senate concurred in House amendments.  The bill would allow universities to require students to purchase health insurance as part of a study abroad program.  The bill is designed to protect students who travel abroad and find themselves in need of medical care or medical evacuation.  The bill now goes to the Governor.

Budget negotiations continue — as a practical matter if lawmakers do not reach a deal by tomorrow night, it will be difficult to complete the session by the Sunday deadline.  Andrew Garber at the Times has a good summary of where things stand this afternoon — including the important note that things are changing by the hour.

The state Senate met yesterday in a rare Sunday session and a couple of bills of interest were dealt with.

The technical clean-up legislation to the so-called “belt-tightening” bill passed the Senate and now goes to the Governor for her signature.

In addition, the Senate refused to concur with the House changes to SSB 5760 which is our alternative public works legislation, paving the way to begin negotiations on a possible compromise bill between the two chambers.

House and Senate budget negotiators continued to meet to try and hammer out compromises on both the operating and capital budget spending plans as the final day of session is now less than one week away.

Sorry Saturday Night Live fans — no comedy here, but there were some important legislative actions yesterday.

HB 2328 which would correct some problems with the “belt-tightening” bill that passed earlier in the year has cleared Senate Ways and Means; it now goes to the floor.

HB 2344, which would allow lawmakers to exceed the 7% cap on resident undergraduate tuition cleared House Ways and Means; it now faces a vote by the full House.

Also, budget negotiations are continuing — reports are that the Governor is becoming more involved in an effort to bring the session to a close by next Sunday, the scheduled adjournment date.

Next Monday starts the final week of the 105-day regular session (adjournment is scheduled for Sunday).  There remains an enormous amount of work to do if lawmakers are to finish on time — focusing mostly on passing a budget and a possible revenue package.

The House took a step toward a revenue plan today, hearing a proposal to temporarily boost the sales tax by 0.3%, with the proceeds being used to reduce health care cuts (both Harborview and UW Medical Center would benefit from the funds).  Voters would have to approve the measure at the ballot.  Joe Turner at The News Tribune has a report on this morning’s hearing; a committee vote to move the proposal forward is expected tonight.

We also continue to work out final language on all of our request bills.  This is the time of session when action is unpredictable and intense.  We should have a better idea by Monday about how the final week is shaping up  — it certainly won’t lack for drama.

Today’s Seattle Times has an article by higher education reporter Nick Perry laying out some basic questions and answers about proposed tuition increases.  There also is an excellent graphic that shows how UW tuition and required fees rank against those of the flagship schools in other states (at $6697 they are below the national average of $7481).  For those wanting to follow the tuition debate over the last days of session, the Times package is a good starting point.

At a rare evening meeting yesterday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee passed their version of the 2009-11 operating budget almost two weeks to the day the proposal was unveiled on March 30.  Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) sponsored an amendment which would increase tuition for resident undergraduates by 14% per year for the next biennium as recommended by the Governor last week.  The amendment also requires each higher education institution to use one seventh of the additional tuition revenue for increased financial aid for resident undergraduates.  Increased tuition revenue is intended to mitigate much of the enrollment reduction proposed in the Senate budget as introduced in March.  The tuition amendment passed 13-8 on a straight party-line vote.

Senator Joe Zarelli (R-Ridgefield) offered an alternative to the tuition increase amendment by proposing to reduce institutionally granted tuition waivers by 50% and to use the “freed-up” revenue to buy back proposed enrollment cuts.  That amendment was defeated on a voice vote.

As you know, the UW has been advocating for increased tuition as a way to mitigate the impact of the Senate’s proposed 23% reduction in state support.  The House budget which passed their fiscal committee last week calls for 10% per year resident undergraduate tuition, but proposes a 31% reduction in state support.  Senate and House budget negotiators are continuing to meet in private to reach consensus on an overall biennial spending plan as the last day of session is now 11 days away.