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Session news: UW leadership meets with legislators as policy cutoff approaches

It’s day 19 of the 2022 legislative session. The last day for bills to pass out of the policy committee in their house of origin is Feb. 3, with fiscal committee cutoff shortly thereafter on Feb. 7. If bills do not move out of their house of origin committees by the Feb. 7 deadline, they are considered dead and will not become law unless they are necessary to implement the budget (NTIB). Legislation that passes out of committee prior to cutoff moves to the Rules Committee, where members select which bills move to the floor for consideration by the full body of the House or Senate.

Yesterday, President Ana Mari Cauce met with House and Senate higher education and budget leaders to advocate for the UW’s legislative agenda. She stressed the importance of including funding for faculty and staff wage increases in the final operating budget with the state supporting at least 50% of the costs. She also provided campus updates and responded to questions from legislators on a variety of bills moving through the legislature ranging from financial aid to dual credit.

UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange met with Pierce County legislators to request maintenance & operations funding for Milgard Hall, which will house the Milgard School of Business and civil and mechanical engineering programs. Construction of the 55,000 square foot building is ahead of schedule with occupancy now expected in Jan. 2023 instead of mid-2023. She also championed the UW’s faculty and staff compensation request and took the opportunity to provide an update on UW Tacoma and share her vision for the future. Chancellor Lange will continue to meet with Pierce County legislators in the upcoming weeks.

The State Relations team will continue monitoring legislation that impacts the University as the legislature moves past cutoff dates. If you have questions about the legislative process or specific bills, please contact staterel@uw.edu.