April 25, 2007
Post Session Update — What’s Next?
It’s day three of the 2007 legislative interim and it’s obvious from this past Monday that my golf game needs a lot of work. What’s still looking very nice though is the UW’s state budget. As the Governor and legislative leaders have toured the state visiting major newspaper editorial boards during the past few days,…
April 22, 2007
The Fat Lady is Singing
The House of Representatives is debating the 2007-09 operating budget which is the last piece of legislation that this legislature will pass before they adjourn later this evening. Speeches are breaking down along predictable partisan lines. Democrats are praising the budget’s spending on schools, social services and the environment. Republicans are decrying the huge increase…
Sad But Somewhat Fitting News
We just learned this afternoon that a legend of Washington State politics has passed away. John L. O’Brien, who represented the south Seattle area in the legislature from 1939 to 1992 passed away this morning at the age of 95. It’s somewhat fitting that O;Brien, who spent most of his life in the legislature would…
Day 105 Has Finally Arrived
The final day of the 2007 legislative session has finally arrived. Both the Senate and House convened at 11:00 a.m. and the Senate promptly passed a family leave bill that requires all private and public employers in the state to provide up to five weeks of paid family leave by 2009, but leaves to a…
April 21, 2007
One Day to Go
First things first. In the Spotlight section of the State Relations website, you will find a link to the 2007 Legislative Session Summary. Hopefully, you will find this to be an informative summary of the operating and capital budgets for the UW as well as a summary of legislation that passed this year affecting the…
Final Operating Budget Released — Best in Almost 20 Years
The final legislative operating budget was released today at noon. For the University, the budget ended up almost precisely where is began almost four months ago. State appropriations of $105 million represent the largest percentage increase in taxpayer support for the UW since the 1987-89 biennium. Together with revenue from tuition and other fees, the…
Final Capital Budget Released — New Campus for UW
The conference report on the 2007-09 capital budget was released last night around 9:30 p.m. Funding for UW projects was identical to the Governor and Senate budgets with more than $143 million in new state support making this the best overall capital budget for the University in a decade. A detailed summary of the capital…
April 20, 2007
Warm Weather + Sunny Skies = Sine Die?
As if on cue, the weather has turned remarkably beautiful this afternoon and that generally means that the end of session is right around the corner. “Sine Die” is Latin for “without day” and is used to refer to legislative bodies whose terms are coming to an end. For the 2007 Washington State Legislature, that means midnight (or…
April 19, 2007
Budget Train Beginning to Roll
The pace of budget negotiations in Olympia noticeably quickened yesterday. When House and Senate fiscal leaders walk frequently together between chambers, experienced observers know that discussions on the budget are getting down to the final last few items. Yesterday’s persistent rumor was that the capital budget was finished and that the operating budget could be ready…
April 18, 2007
Does a Watched Budget Ever Pass?
When you are on the outside looking into the state budget negotiations, the anticipation of what the final product will look like can be pretty frustrating. I’ve been gone from legislative staff for more than three years now, and I can truthfully say the only part of the process that I still really miss are the final…
