News & Updates

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.

Lawmakers are busy on the floor this week, but even busier in negotiations over the state budget.  All of the UW’s request bills remain alive at this point.  Our bills on tuition-setting authority for graduate and out-of-state students and to streamline public works contracting both await House floor votes; we are continuing to work on final language.  Our bill to protect private investment information provided to our endowment has cleared both chambers, but is awaiting final resolution of some small differences.

Of course the backdrop for all of the action on the floor is the state budget.  Rep. Kathy Haigh has introduced a bill in the House that would allow lawmakers to set tuition levels, and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles is planning to offer an amendment in Senate Ways and Means to allow tuition to increase by 14%.  Both are indications that lawmakers are seriously considering allowing higher tuition levels as a way to mitigate the impact of proposed budget cuts.  It is very important to note that even with higher tuition, the cuts being contemplated for higher education would still be substantial and require significant cost-cutting measures.  

On the revenue front, discussion appears to be narrowing to a proposal to put to voters a three-tenths of one percent increase in the sales tax which would be used to offset a portion of health care cuts.  At the same time, today saw the largest Capitol Campus rally of the session — an anti-tax rally that the State Patrol estimates drew over 5,000 people. 

Lawmakers are also facing a ticking clock — the regular session is scheduled to end April 26.  They will need to reach budget agreements several days before that to finish on time.  To date, neither chamber has passed a complete budget which is highly unusual and a sign of the difficulties lawmakers are having reaching a final accord.

On the Capital Budget front, negotiations are also continuing. One major difference is how the House and Senate dealt with the UW building account.  The House transferred the money to the general fund; the Senate did not.  How that issue (among others) is resolved will determine how many capital projects will be funded this cycle.

So even more than usual, this year the mantra for the final ten days of session is “watch and wait.”  No word yet on coffee (and aspirin) sales at the legislative cafeteria — but it’s probably safe to put your money on a record performance.

This morning Crosscut is featuring an article by Pete Jackson titled “U.W. is getting a big demotion”.   In the article Jackson notes:

These unprecedented cuts will permanently kick the University of Washington to second-tier status and throttle programs at Washington State University and Western (note to friends of Western’s Huxley School: It’s rally time). Washington will import more of its talent, just as it exports its top high school grads. No more supercilious guffaws at Oregon and OSU, schools that felt the slow earthquake of 1990’s Measure 5 that starved basic education and ultimately squeezed higher-ed as well.

That’s right, prideful Huskies, Cougars, and Vikings, you’re about to get Duck-ed!

The real and anticipated squeeze is already under way. At the UW’s College of Arts and Sciences, four faculty members have announced plans to bolt over the past three weeks. It’s the prelude to a brain drain: Better jump ship before the pirates heave another grappling hook.

You can find the complete article here.

Over the weekend the Tri-City Herald and the Bellingham Herald both editorialized in favor of higher tuition to reduce the effect of proposed budget cuts.  Links to both editorials are below.

Tri-City Herald, April 12
Our reluctant endorsement for college tuition increase
The Herald endorses Gov. Gregoire’s proposal for tuition increases, noting that higher college costs will be offset by greater federal financial aid to many students and families. Even with the increase, tuition will be a “relative bargain,” the paper says.

The Bellingham Herald, April 11
Higher tuition at WWU; bitter but necessary
The Herald editorial board writes that a 14 percent tuition increase in each year of the coming biennium is necessary, even if it will increase the financial burden on some parents.