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Category: State Legislature

Governor calls special session for Boeing 777X package

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Gov. Jay Inslee announced yesterday (11/5) that he is calling the legislature back for a special session beginning Thursday, Nov. 7, to approve a package aimed at encouraging The Boeing Company to build the 777X airplane in Washington State.

The Governor’s Office released a list of the package elements here.

Reporting on the Governor’s announcement, the Seattle Times outlines some of the challenges expected in passing both an incentive package and a statewide transportation package, in just one week.

Stay tuned to the UW State Relations blog, Twitter, and Facebook for more developments!

State Legislators and staff visit the UW

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The Office of State Relations hosted a group of state legislators and staff on campus last Friday (September 27) for a tour of the Institute for Protein Design, a campus tour including the recently renovated Odegaard Undergraduate Library & Learning Commons and the Paul G. Allen Center for Computing & Engineering, and a lunch briefing with presentations by Vice Provost for Research Mary Lidstrom and Vice Provost and Undergraduate Academic Affairs Dean Ed Taylor.

The group included State Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle), State Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), and State Rep. Chad Magendanz (R-Issaquah), along with staff from the House Higher Education Committee and Senate Ways & Means Committee.

Legislative Visit 9-27-13 b
State Legislators and Staff Visit an Active Learning Classroom in Odegaard.

Additional campus visits this fall are already in the works. Stay tuned for more details soon!

Editorial: A proud moment for the state Legislature

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UW President Michael K. Young
President Michael K. Young

In a guest opinion editorial published in The Olympian newspaper, UW President Michael K. Young recognizes state legislators for their work on behalf of higher education in the state budget:

I am very proud of our state Legislature. As difficult and protracted as the process was, our legislators passed a state budget that reinvests in the state’s future by supporting the education of our young people. It’s an achievement that deserves to be recognized.

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The state budget is an encouraging reminder that the trajectory of a public issue can be altered for the better and that downward spirals need not continue. Many individuals, including faculty and student leaders, labor leaders, business executives, and newspaper editors demonstrated the power of a thoughtful argument, persistently and eloquently presented, and the capacity of our citizens and our democratic institutions to respond constructively. The resulting political compromises and the long-term thinking of the legislators should be a source of pride for every Washington citizen. By their bold action, our legislators have taken an important step to reenergize our public colleges and universities and return momentum to Washington’s historic commitment to educating its citizens to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Read more here.

State Rep. Steve O’Ban tapped by Pierce County Council to fill Carrell seat

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The News Tribune reports:

O’Ban will fill the vacancy left by the recent passing of State Senator Mike Carrell.

Learn more about O’Ban by reading our “Huskies on the Hill” Q&A he participated in on the State Relations blog earlier this year.

The Olympian: Higher education a smart investment in state’s future

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The Olympian published an editorial today supporting reinvestment in higher education, and noting recent remarks given by President Young:

[W]e hope lawmakers will consider the remarks made by University of Washington President Michael Young at the Thurston County Chamber luncheon Wednesday. Young, who met earlier with The Olympian’s editorial board, laid out a convincing argument for increasing, not decreasing, the state’s investment in affordable higher education.

 

During a recent tour of countries in Asia, the UW president said he saw an urgency building in Korea, Japan and Taiwan to invest heavily in their higher education systems. Those countries see education and university-based research as the keys to America’s innovative and entrepreneurial advantages. In the long run, it’s the only model that works.

 

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To retain our position as the world’s leader in innovation and science we must not let our investment in higher education stagnate. Investing in Washington’s higher education system today makes sense if we value sustained prosperity for all.

Read more.