News & Updates

The way this session began last week, I feel like I am aging in “dog years,” you know, each week really feels like seven weeks, or something like that.  Woof.  In any event, can’t be much busier than last week and besides, “it wouldn’t be fun if it was easy.”

Today, the House Higher Education Committee considers HB 2783 which is an attempt to improve articulation and transfer between institutions of higher education.  COP has been collecting viewpoints on this legislation from all four-year schools and the consensus seems to be the bill has some noble goals but causes some difficulties for our institutions.  The Senate Higher Education committee meets at the same time to consider a number of workforce education bills.

At 3:30 p.m. today, the House Appropriations Committee will look at higher education and technology fields.  Jim Severson from the UW Tech Transfer office will make a presentation to the committee which will also hear reports on high demand enrollment allocations and perspectives from the Prosperity Partnership.

On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Education Subcommittee will discuss the UW North Sound campus issue and hear presentations on campus security budget requests.  I will be there to present the preliminary academic plan for the campus and Deb Merle from the Governor’s office will provide updates on issues related to the site selection process.

The next morning, the House Higher Education Committee will hold a work session on campus safety featuring UW student representatives and Vice Provost Eric Godfrey.  The Senate Higher Education Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 6133 that would limit tuition increases.  Also on Wednesday, the Council of Faculty Representatives will hold its Faculty Serving Washington exhibit in room 112 of the Legislative Building.

On Thursday, the House Higher Education Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 2646 which would increase bereavement leave for higher education employees from three to five days.  A preliminary analysis of this bill indicates it could have a significant cost.  In the Senate Higher Education Committee, public hearings will be held on SB 6328, which is the Governor’s campus safety legislation and SB 6304 which would stautorily ban firearms on college campuses.  The committee will also consider SB 6490 which would establish a UW branch campus in Lake Stevens which was one of the four finalist sites selected in the NBBJ consultants report.

That same afternoon, the Senate Labor, Research and Commerce Committee will hear a UW request bill, SB 6637 which would permit the UW to purchase ethyl alcohol directly from national suppliers instead of going through the Liquor Control Board.  This bill is needed due to the closure in December of the UW central stores operation.  A House companion bill (HB 2825) will be heard in the House Commerce and Labor Committee on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

On Friday, the House Capital Budget Committee will hold a work session on two topics of interest to the UW.  First, the committee will study the 10-year capital cost projections for the proposed UW North Sound branch campus in Snohomish County.  In addition, the committee will hear a report from COP on the use of proportionality in the priority setting process of the public baccalaureate capital projects priority list.

Who needs………. well, you can fill in the blank.

I am hard pressed to recall a day this darned busy.  Lots and lots of UW stuff going on, much of which you will read about in your local papers on Friday morning.

As I mentioned in the previous post, today was the big Senate hearing on the UW North Sound campus.  Along with Deb Merle from the Governor’s office, I helped lead off the festivities with an update on the preliminary academic plan (not much to report) and then it was question time.  Sen. Jean Berkey (D-Everett) asked the proverbial $64,000 question about which site the UW preferred, and I answered as I mentioned I would earlier today.  Deb then provided an update on some of the outstanding issues and controversies swirling around the two primary sites in question, and then it was off to public testimony which continued for the next two hours.  Dozens of supporters of both the Everett and Marysville site were in attendance including numerous local elected officials, business owners, citizen advocates, etc.  Much passion in the debate on both sides and committee members were clearly interested in what everyone had to say.  Not sure if anyone’s opinion was changed by the testimony but while the Everett site has gained some additional support this week, deep divisions remain in the legislature on the issue.  More importantly, I believe a number of legislators are beginning to question the wisdom of moving ahead at all on the new campus given the cost projections and what appear to be concerns about how this really fits into the entire higher education system.

Early afternoon I found myself in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education chaired by Rep. Kathy Haigh (D-Shelton).  This subcommittee was created last session to give legislators a chance to delve more deeply into the budget requests and issues of early childhood education, K-12 and higher education.  I got a rare opportunity to present our entire supplemental budget request but most of the questions from legislators focused on the one item we didn’t ask for — the funding included in the Governor’s supplemental budget to begin offering classes next fall in the Snohomish County area provided the legislature selects a site for the new campus.

By the end of the subcommittee hearing, it was apparent to me that the Board of Regents (meeting today in Seattle) had approved the Husky Stadium advisory committee proposal to spend $300 million to renovate the facility and to seek public funding for one half of the request.  A number of reporters caught me out by the sundial (the gathering area between the Senate and House office buildings) and they had a lot of questions about what was being proposed.

In a nutshell, the UW is asking the state to “repurpose” some of the revenues currently being used to finance professional sports stadiums in King County towards the Husky Stadium renovation project (once those sources have fully paid for the existing stadiums of course).  Of the $300 million price tag, the state would be asked to pay for one half and the UW would pay for the other half.  The state funds would be used for what we call “preservation, renovation and maintenance” items such as replacing the lower bowl which dates from 1920, bringing the stadium into compliance with the Americans with Disabilites Act, replacing the press box, and making some seismic upgrades.  The UW funds would be used to improve the fan experience in the stadium by removing the track, bringing the west end of the stadium in closer to the field, lowering the field itself and improving concession areas, bathrooms, etc.  These items would be paid with donations from Husky supporters and revenues from premium seating (similar to the seats in the Don James Center).

Later on Friday, I will post all of the advocacy materials we have developed for the stadium request in the Spotlight section of the State Relations webpage.

It’s only day four of a 60 day session and I feel like session has been going on for several weeks.  Friday should hopefully slow down a bit because I really need some time to study a number of bills which are scheduled for hearings next week.  Just noticed our men’s basketball team earned a much needed victory over the Oregon Ducks, so that’s a nice way to finish a very, very hectic day.

Today the Senate Higher Ed committee will hold a public hearing on bills related to establishing a new UW branch campus in Snohomish County.  Sen. Paull Shin’s bill would establish the campus in Everett at the Pacific Station site.  Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen’s legislation would require specified criteria to be used to determine the best location for the new branch.

Yesterday, a reporter for the Everett Herald asked the University which site we preferred.  To be honest, I’m sort of surprised it took two months since the site selection report was released for someone to ask this question.  We told them the truth — we participated very closely in the NBBJ report process (although we didn’t do the actual work) we read the report completely, and we concur with the report’s conclusions that the Pacific Station site should be ranked first.  This does not mean that the Marysville/Smokey Point site would not work.  It’s sort of like the difference between someone getting a B+ and a B- on a term paper.  They are both good, but one is a little better than the other.  That’s all.

No matter where the legislature ultimately decides to locate the campus, if they want the UW to be involved we will work hard to make any new campus a success for the local community.  Here’s a link to the story in the Everett Herald if you are interested.

While Washington begins it’s 2008 legislative session with a large budget surplus that the Governor and many legislative leaders have sworn to protect, the fiscal outlook in our large neighbor to the south is quite grim.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed 2008-09 budget was released a week ago and it calls for 10% across-the-board reductions in virtually every state funded program or service.  For higher education in California, the consequences, particularly for students, could be disastrous.

A story last week in the Los Angeles Times indicates that the University of California and California State University systems could face student fee increases, caps on enrollment, reduced class offerings and layoffs of part-time instructors if the Governor’s budget recommendations are adopted.

California faces a $14.5 billion budget gap, the result of declining revenues as a result of well-publicized problems in the housing markets as well as long-term structural budget issues which date back several years and for which only one-time fixes have been employed over the years to correct.  The Governor is also calling for immediate reductions in the current fiscal year budget and at least one major bond rating agency has intimated it might downgrade the state’s rating if the budget gap is not permanently corrected.

The Governor’s budget would reduce higher education funding in California by $1.1 billion, although his office contends that his budget proposal is consistent with the “compacts” negotiated in 2004 which were intended to provide a guarantee of funding for higher education in exchange for specified levels of performance from the institutions.

I’m happy to report that the Council of Presidents (the organization which represents the six public baccalaureate institutions) has created a new website that should prove helpful to those of you in the campus community charged with tracking legislation.  You can find the link at: 

http://www.councilofpresidents.org/index.htm

Under the “Legislative Information” section, you can find out which bills are being tracked by Council staff with information about their status and corresponding links to the state legislative website where you can download the latest version of the legislation and other related documents.

“Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, we’re so glad you could attend come inside, come inside…..”

 Good morning, and welcome to the 2008 legislative session which officially kicks off at noon today in Olympia.  Sixty days sessions are sprints — fast, furious and halfway over before a lot of folks have figured out where the new capitol gift shop is located (yes, there really is a new gift shop this year thanks to state Rep. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia).  Here’s a brief look at higher education issues in Olympia for week one.

Committee hearings are beginning this very afternoon and we will jump headlong into higher education issues this afternoon when both the Senate and House Higher Education committees meet to consider reports on high demand workforce issues and the HECB draft master plan.  Tomorrow is the Governor’s State of the State address in the House chambers.  On Wednesday morning, the dearth of child care on college campuses goes center stage in the House Higher Education Committee at 8:00 a.m. and even I get some speaking parts beginning Wednesday in a public hearing on the supplemental budget before the House Appropriations Committee at 3:30 p.m.

On Thursday morning, the Senate Higher Education committee will tackle the UW North Sound site issue with a public hearing on Sen. Paull Shin’s bill which would designate Everett’s Pacific Station site as the location for the new campus at 10:00 a.m.  At 1:30 p.m. Rep. Kathy Haigh’s House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education will a public hearing on the 2008 supplemental budget for higher education.

So let’s have a final systems check.  Shoes are polished, tie is straight (for now), shirt tucked in and two pens clipped inside the coat pocket.  Time to get started and remember, it’s always more fun when you keep your eyes open and raise up your hands during the bumpy parts of the ride.

Although 2007 was not a general election year, the beginning of the 2008 legislative session brings seven new legislators to Olympia – one new state Senator and six new state Representatives.

Here is a brief summary of the new political faces in Olympia for 2008.

Sen. Curtis King (R-Yakima) from the 14th district who defeated incumbent Jim Clements in the August Republican primary and won election in November.  King is a former General Electric official who also ran a commercial cabinet company in Union Gap.  King is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island) from the 34th legislative district who replaces Joe McDermott who was appointed to the state Senate to complete the unexpired term of Erik Poulsen who resigned earlier this fall.  Nelson is chief of staff to King County Councilmember Dow Constantine and a graduate of Whitman College.

Rep. Joe Schmick (R-Colfax) from the 9th legislative district who replaces David Buri who resigned this fall to become director of government relations for Eastern Washington University.  Schmick is a farmer and small-business owner and a graduate of Eastern Washington University.

Rep. Liz Loomis (D-Snohomish) from the 44th legislative district who replaces Jon Lovick who was recently elected Snohomish County Sheriff.  Loomis has been a member of the Snohomish City Council and mayor of the town.  She also operated a public affairs firm that worked with local businesses.

Rep. Marko Liias (D-Mukilteo) from the 21st legislative district who replaces Brian Sullivan who was recently elected to the Snohomish County Council.  Liias previously served on the Mukilteo City Council and is finishing work on his M.P.A. at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

Rep. Jamie Herrera (R-Ridgefield) from the 18th legislative district who replaces Richard Curtis who resigned earlier this fall.  Herrera is a former legislative assistant for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and also served as an intern for state Senator Joe Zarelli.  She is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Rep. Norma Smith (R-Whidbey Island) from the 10th legislative district who replaces Chris Strow who resigned in December to take a job with the Puget Sound Regional Council.  Smith served as a special assistant to former Congressman Jack Metcalf and a former South Whidbey School Board member.