February 27, 2008
Funding for eScience Institute Added to Senate Budget
During their executive session on the 2008 supplemental operating budget this afternoon, the Senate Ways and Means committee added $1 million to the University’s budget for the eScience Institute proposal that was part of the UW’s original supplemental budget request. The amendment was co-sponsored by Senators Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) and Senator Brian Hatfield (D-Raymond). Senator…
February 26, 2008
Senate Budget Released
The Senate released their versions of the operating and capital budgets today at a noon press conference in Olympia. For the UW, the news was much improved from what was unveiled last week in the House of Representatives. OPERATING BUDGET Of most importance, the Senate not only maintained funding in the underlying budget for the…
February 25, 2008
Budget Update
The House of Representatives is debating the 2008 supplemental operating budget as I post this entry. Unfortunately for the UW and WSU Star Researchers program, an amendment sponsored by Rep. Larry Haler (R-Richland) which would have restored the $1.5 million cut out in the House budget proposal failed on a voice vote less than a half hour…
February 21, 2008
House Budget Cuts STAR Researcher Funding for UW and WSU
My bad. I testified yesterday in House Appropriations and praised committee members for at least protecting the base level of funding for the UW and other four year institutions. Well, turns out I was wrong, at least for the state’s research universities. Staff from the Higher Education Coordinating Board brought to our attention this morning a…
February 20, 2008
House Budgets Released
The House of Representatives released its versions of the operating, capital and transportation budgets today in Olympia. As expected, they were pretty lean and mostly devoid of new spending initiatives for the UW and the other four year institutions. Briefly, here is a summary of how the University fared. OPERATING BUDGET The House budget provides…
Performance Agreement Legislation Moving Forward
With a strong 95-2 vote in the House of Representatives, it seems that Rep. Fred Jarrett’s (D-Mercer Island) long-time goal of using performance agreements to link higher education funding with clearly understood accountability measures may actually be on the brink of becoming state law. EHB 2641 would establish six-year pilot performance agreements with all of…
February 18, 2008
Whither UW North Sound?
Well, there are two days left for floor action on both House and Senate bills and I’m still getting plenty of inquiries on the status of the UW North Sound campus. Last Tuesday, the Senate Ways and Means committee failed to advance ANY of the measures related to the new school that would have favored,…
February 15, 2008
Revenue Forecast Drops $423 Million
The much anticipated quarterly revenue forecast was released this afternoon in Olympia and as predicted for the past several weeks, it dropped. Dr. Chang Mook Sohn, in his final meeting as chief revenue forecaster, estimates that the state will take in $423 million less for the remainder of the current biennium than predicted last November. …
February 13, 2008
House Budget Due in One Week
The proposed 2008 supplemental operating budget is expected to be released one week from today on February 20th by committee chair Rep. Helen Sommers (D-Seattle). A public hearing on that budget is now scheduled for 3:30 p.m. that afternoon in House Hearing Room A. The 2008 House capital budget is also expected to be released…
February 12, 2008
Key Bills Clear Fiscal Committees at Session Halfway Point
Today is the official midpoint of the 2008 legislative session. Considering the collective dread that everyone in town is viewing this Friday’s general fund revenue forecast update, in hindsight, this might also be the highpoint of the 2008 legislative session. But more on that at a later time. This afternoon, the UW’s request legislation (SB…
