July 22, 2021
Spokane legislative visit includes tour of UW-Gonzaga medical education building
Representative Marcus Riccelli joined External Affairs staff members last week for a construction site tour of the future Regional Health Partnership building in Spokane. The UW School of Medicine and Gonzaga University entered into a public-private partnership with McKinstry, who is developing and will manage the building. The four-story, 90,000-square-foot building is scheduled to open…
July 13, 2021
Capital Budget Chair visits Parrington Hall after renovation
Today, Senator David Frockt, representing the 46th legislative district in North Seattle, toured the UW Evans School of Public Policy & Governance’s newly renovated Parrington Hall. Built in 1902, Parrington was one of the first buildings on today’s Seattle campus. After serving students for over 100 years, campus leaders began efforts to update the Hall’s learning…
July 1, 2021
Most COVID-19 restrictions lifted statewide with new guidance issued for higher education
In May, Governor Jay Inslee announced most remaining COVID-19 restrictions would lift by June 30 or earlier if more than 70 percent of Washingtonians over the age of 16 initiated vaccination. While the state has yet to reach 70 percent according to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the majority of Washington state’s COVID-19…
June 23, 2021
State revenue collections positive as 2019-21 biennium comes to a close
The Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released their June quarterly report today showing significantly improved revenue collections. The state’s General Fund revenue for the current 2019-21 biennium ending on June 30 is forecasted to increase by more than $1.3 billion with revenues totaling $52.3 billion. If projections actualize, the state will have a…
June 21, 2021
Rep. Boehnke visits the Clean Energy Institute
Last week, Representative Matt Boehnke, representing the eighth legislative district in the Tri-Cities area, visited the Clean Energy Institute (CEI) and Washington Clean Energy Testbeds at the University of Washington. Founded in 2013 with generous support from the Washington state legislature, CEI’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of a scalable clean energy future that…
June 18, 2021
Honoring Juneteenth
Tomorrow, people across the U.S. will celebrate Juneteenth. The holiday commemorates the day in 1865 on which enslaved people in Texas learned that the Civil War and their enslavement had ended, two months after the Confederate army surrendered and more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Celebrated as Independence Day by Black Americans, there…
May 20, 2021
Governor signs budgets into law
Earlier this week, Gov. Jay Inslee signed the 2021-23 operating, capital, and transportation budgets into law with an effective date of May 18. While the Governor vetoed portions of the operating budget, no changes were made to the University of Washington’s section of the budget or student financial aid. The capital budget was signed into…
April 25, 2021
Session news: Final budgets passed by legislature include investments in the UW
The 2021 legislative session adjourned tonight after the legislature passed the final 2021-23 operating, capital, and transportation budgets. Despite the unprecedented fiscal and logistical challenges resulting from the pandemic, session ended on time and without the substantial budget cuts anticipated at the outset. The higher education sector saw strong, targeted investments in both the operating…
April 14, 2021
Session news: Final days of legislative session; State Relations to hold recap
The 2021 legislative session is nearing the finish line with Apr. 25 scheduled to be the last day. The only bills still being considered are those deemed “necessary to implement the budget” or those that need to be reconciled between the chambers. All bills must pass out of both chambers on or before Apr. 25…
April 2, 2021
State Relations briefs campus on the 2021 legislative session
Today, the Office of State Relations held a campus-wide legislative session update. State Relations Director Joe Dacca shared the latest news “from” Olympia—including an overview of the House and Senate budget proposals—and answered questions. As a refresher, the House and Senate budget proposals included solid investments in the higher education sector and the University of…
