The Senate published their operating budget proposal this evening with the following investments for the UW:
- $2.5M (ongoing) to expand the School of Dentistry’s Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program, which trains dentists to serve the state’s rural and underserved populations.
- $330,000 in FY25, $455,000 ongoing for The Allen School Scholars Program (formerly Startup), a one-year cohort-based program to support students who are first generation, low-income, and/or from underserved communities who are pursuing a degree in computer sciences or computer engineering.
- $65M (one-time) for UW Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center to support their critical and impactful safety net care and medical training missions for the state.
- $20M (one-time) for the Center for Behavioral Health and Learning (formerly Behavioral Health Teaching Facility) at UW Medical Center-Northwest.
Additionally, the proposal funds six policy bills, including codifying the Washington State elections database and extending the implementation timeline for 988 suicide prevention and mental health crisis system.
The House will release their operating and capital budget proposals tomorrow. The Senate has already unveiled their capital budget proposal, which funds the UW’s top priorities. Details about the Senate capital budget proposal can be found here.
After both chambers have released their proposals, budget writers will work to negotiate the final budgets. The budgets must be voted out of both the House and Senate by the last day of session, known as Sine Die, on March 7. They will then head to the Governor’s desk for consideration.
For questions about the budgets, please contact the Office of State Relations.