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Category: 2014 Legislative Session

This week in Olympia: Bills begin moving, Regents & Trustees meet with lawmakers

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Today is day 17 of the 60-day 2014 Regular Session.

This week, Regents and Trustees from the state’s six public four-year universities and college, and the state’s two-year community and technical colleges, descended on Olympia for a full-day of meetings with state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee.

Regents & Trustees on the Senate floor with Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle)
Regents and Trustees on the Senate floor with Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle)

Topics included the need to return to pre-recession levels of state funding, expansion of programs in science, technology, engineering and math to meet the needs of employers and the state economy, and fully funding successful state financial aid programs like the State Need Grant.

Also this week, the House and Senate Higher Education committees have continued work sessions on relevant policy areas, held hearings on a range of legislative proposals, and begun passing bills out of committee (read agendas here and here).

Tomorrow, UW Director of Student Financial Aid Kay Lewis will present during a work session before the Senate Higher Education Committee. Her presentation will provide an overview of cost of attendance, and student financial aid options at UW.

This week in Olympia: Committee work sessions, President Young meets with lawmakers

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Today (Jan. 24) is Day 12 of the 60-day 2014 Regular Session.

The week kicked off on Monday with a full day of events at the State Capitol to celebrate and remember Martin Luther King, Jr. (See sidebar for two tweets from Rep. Riccelli and Sen. Fain, both UW alums serving in the State Legislature)

On Tuesday, the House Higher Education Committee held a work session on Higher Education Performance and Results (watch TVW video of the session). The Senate Higher Education Committee held a similar work session on Thursday, getting an update on the Technical Incentive Funding Model Task Force report, presented by the Office of Financial Management and the 4-year public institutions of higher education (watch TVW video of the hearing session).

On Wednesday, Director of UW State Relations Margaret Shepherd gave an update to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. Shepherd’s presentation focused on how institutional funding as appropriated in the 2013-15 Operating Budget impacted the UW. (View PowerPoint slides of the presentation, watch TVW video of the session).

In the middle of the week, President Young visited Olympia for meetings with legislative leaders, in both the House and Senate, to discuss the University’s 2014 Legislative Agenda. Topics of conversation included the University’s commitment to preserving the resident undergraduate tuition freeze in 2014 (so long as there are no funding reductions), the importance of fully funding the State Need Grant Program, and how small investments in the University’s core strengths can produce high-impact outcomes for the state economy and its people.

The successful day of meetings wrapped up with the Council of Presidents‘ annual legislative reception.

Next week will be a whirlwind of committee hearings on bills, with the first cutoff date (for policy bills to be heard in committee) now just two weeks away (Feb. 7). Floor activity is also possible in the House and Senate. Stay tuned!

UW presents to Senate Higher Education committee on student veteran success

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Today (Jan. 16), Director of the UW Veterans Center Tim Wold presented to the Senate Higher Education committee on a panel titled, “Veterans: Transition to the workforce.”

Wold’s presentation shared quick facts about UW’s growing student veteran enrollment (currently 1,344, an 108% increase since 2008-2009), explained the UW Veterans Center’s objectives, highlighted best practices, shared details on some of the Center’s innovative programming, and provided an overview of future initiatives.

Wold’s presentation to the committee is available below:
Student Veteran Success at the UW

Watch the presentation on TVW:

Tim Wold UW Veterans Center

 

Learn more about the UW Veterans Center.

UW presents to House Higher Education Committee on plans to reach state’s educational attainment goals

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Earlier this week, the Washington Student Achievement Council presented to the House Higher Education committee on its 2013 Roadmap, which established two state educational attainment goals for 2023:

  1. All adults in Washington will have a high school diploma or equivalent.
  2. At least 70 percent of Washington adults will have a postsecondary credential.

Yesterday (Jan. 16), UW Senior Vice Provost Gerald Baldasty, UW Bothell Chancellor Bjong Wolf Yeigh, and UW Director of State Relations Margaret Shepherd presented to the House Higher Education committee on the University of Washington’s plans to reach the Roadmap’s attainment goals.

The UW presenters emphasized plans for growth at the UW Tacoma and UW Bothell campuses, expanding access to STEM, Graduate & Professional Degree programs, and expanding access to and success of non-traditional & underserved students.

Watch the presentation on TVW.

View the UW panel’s presentation below:

Reaching Higher Education Attainment Goals

In related news at the federal level today, the University of Washington committed to a White House plan to help more students afford college.

The President’s Increasing College Opportunity for Low-Income Students initiative is intended to reduce the time it takes for low-income and underrepresented minority students to finish college, making it more likely that they will complete a degree.

2014 legislative session begins January 13, UW releases legislative agenda

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The 2014 60-day legislative session starts next Monday (January 13).

To learn more about the UW’s 2014 top legislative priorities, you can now read and download the University’s 2014 Legislative Agenda.

Here is a quick overview:

Priority #1: Preserve the 2014 Resident Undergraduate Tuition Freeze

The UW is committed to a continued freeze in 2014 as long as there are no reductions in state funding.

Priority #2: Fully fund the State Need Grant (SNG). 

Last year, 32,000 students were eligible for the SNG but went unserved.

Priority #3: Make strategic investments in What’s Next

Small strategic investments in innovative work occurring at the UW can result in big economic impact:

  • Next Generation Medicine
  • Next Generation Health Care
  • Next Generation STEM Education
  • Next Generation Higher Education

In other Olympia news:

Several House seats are still awaiting appointments, including the 2nd, 4th, and 26th Legislative Districts.

Longtime legislator and former UW faculty member and alum, Sen. Paull Shin, announced his resignation yesterday due to health concerns. His departure creates a vacancy in the Senate, with an appointment process expected to fill his seat representing the 21st Legislative District.

Also this week, a variety of business, civic, and media organizations are holding a variety of legislative preview events. One not to be missed is the Associated Press’ annual legislative preview. It’s set for tomorrow in Olympia (watch live on TVW or online).

Finally, tomorrow the House Republican Caucus will be holding a Twitter town hall, answering questions from constituents online:

The House Democratic Caucus, Senate Democratic Caucus, and Majority Coalition Caucus also maintain Twitter accounts, with updates covering legislative news.

Stay tuned to the Office of State Relations’ Facebook and Twitter for updates as the countdown to the 2014 legislative session continues! Leave us a comment below with any questions or feedback.

Governor Inslee releases 2014 supplemental budget proposal

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This week (Dec. 17), Governor Jay Inslee released his 2014 supplemental budget proposal, calling it a “hold-steady” budget in a “get ready” year, acknowledging that tough decisions await on the horizon for the next biennial budget in 2015.

READ: UW Office of Planning & Budgeting Blog and Brief (PDF) on the Governor’s budget proposal.

The funding levels in the Governor’s supplemental budget proposal will allow UW to maintain its commitment to holding resident undergraduate tuition at current rates through the next academic year.  The University of Washington’s Board of Regents are currently the only governing board that have voted on a 0% resident undergraduate tuition increase in both years of the biennium.  This budget affirms that vote.

Governor Inslee’s budget proposal also makes a few small, but important investments in targeted areas at UW that will benefit Washington’s economy.  These investments include:

  • $1 million in state funding for UW’s Institute for Protein Design to spur commercialization of next generation medical research.
  • $750,000 in state funding for the Entrepreneurs in Residence program that aids in commercialization of R&D projects at the state’s research universities.
  • $500,000 in state funding to define and develop a business plan for an Advanced Materials Manufacturing (aerospace) facility in partnership with local governments and private industry in Snohomish County.

In addition to the above state investments in the University of Washington, Governor Inslee’s budget includes a necessary investment to ensure the College Bound Scholarship Program is fully funded. The College Bound program supports 1,338 students at the UW.

In sum, the Governor’s budget appears to reflect the reality of steady but slow improvement in the state economy. It preserves increased funding levels for higher education that were established last legislative session, and makes several targeted new investments in the University. As the state’s revenue outlook continues to improve, UW will advocate for additional important priorities as part of our 2014 legislative agenda. These include fully funding the State Need Grant program, and making additional state investments in STEM education.

The 2014 legislative session begins on January 13, 2014.

Additional Budget Links

Governor Inslee’s Press Conference (TVW)

Governor Inslee’s 2014 Budget Education Highlights (OFM)

Governor’s News Release (GOV)