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The 2022 General Election was held yesterday with initial vote counts posted on the Secretary of State’s website at 8 p.m. Washington state has voted entirely by mail since 2011 so additional time is required to tabulate votes. Ballots dropped in official drop boxes or postmarked by Nov. 8 will continue to be tallied until final election results are certified by the Secretary of State on or before Dec. 8.

Washington state is divided into 49 legislative districts, with one state Senator and two state Representatives elected in each district. This election cycle, all 98 House seats and 25 Senate seats were up for election. Representatives are elected in even-numbered years and serve two-year terms, while Senators are elected every four years with half of the Senate up for election every two years.

Democrats currently control the state House and Senate by clear majorities and early election results indicate they will maintain control. However, some races remain too close to call with an estimated 721,000 ballots on hand to be processed. To date, almost 1.9 million ballots have been counted.

The Secretary of State position was also on the ballot with incumbent Steve Hobbs (D) narrowly leading challenger Julie Anderson (nonpartisan).

To view Washington’s election results, click here.

Every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the entire U.S. population to understand how the nation’s populace and economy have changed and shifted. The data collected helps determine how the federal government distributes funds to states and local communities. It also determines the number of seats allocated to each state in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used by states to draw new legislative districts.

The most recent census occurred in 2020 with the data released earlier this year. In Washington state, the census data shows population has grown by 14.6% since 2010 and the diversity index has increased to 61.1% from 54.9%.

To maintain fair and equal districts as communities change, the state’s legislative and congressional districts are redrawn after each census. The bipartisan Washington State Redistricting Commission, consisting of two Democrat and two Republican voting members, was charged with this task under strict rules designed to create districts of relatively equal population that do not provide a partisan advantage or discriminate against any demographic group. To the best of their ability, the commission also has to avoid splitting up cities or other political subdivisions and follow natural boundaries.

In September, all four redistricting commissioners released proposed legislative and congressional district maps providing the starting point for negotiation and public feedback. Throughout the process, the public provided information on their local communities, drew community maps, and shared testimony.

By law, the commission had until midnight Nov. 15 to finalize and vote on the new political boundaries with at least three of four voting members agreeing to the maps. The commission approved and published new maps but was unable to adopt them prior to the deadline. The Washington Supreme Court now has the jurisdiction to adopt a districting plan by April 30, 2022. At this time, it is unclear how the Court will proceed but more information is expected soon.

To learn more about the state’s redistricting process, visit the Washington State Redistricting Commission website.

Since concluding the 2018 legislative session on March 8, the State Relations team has been connecting members and staff from the legislature to engagement and outreach opportunities on campus as well as informing them of notable honors and innovative work accomplished by our students, staff and faculty.

To date, highlighted events attended by legislators and staff include:

UW College of Engineering Discovery Days

On April 19 and 20 over 1,500 UW faculty, staff and students showcased over 114 engineering exhibits to over 10,000 elementary and middle school students from across the state of Washington. We were pleased to have Sen. Guy Palumbo, Rep. Cindy Ryu, Rep. Shelley Kloba, Rep. Roger Goodman, Rep. Vandana Slatter and Rep. Nicole Macri participate in the many hands-on activities that demonstrated the exciting work of engineers alongside the visiting schools from their districts.

 

Population Health Groundbreaking Ceremony

Senate and House capital budget leaders Sen. David Frockt and Rep. Steve Tharinger joined representatives from the UW and the Gates Foundation to break ground on the new Population Health building on April 25. The building will be the new headquarters for the Population Health Initiative, which addresses challenges around human health, environmental resilience, and social and economic equity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Made possible by a $210 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and $15 million in funding from the Legislature, the Population Health building is located on the southeast corner of 15^th Avenue NE and NE Grant place.

To review the 2016-18 Population Health Community Report click here.

Senate Law & Justice Committee Work Session

On May 4, Senators and staff of the Law & Justice committee held a work session to discuss the statute of limitations for felony sex offenses at the UW School of Law.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In case you missed the work session, you can watch it by clicking here as well as review the agenda and materials from the work session here.

Washington State Mental Health Summit

On May 8, the UW hosted the 2018 Mental Health Summit in the Husky Union Building (HUB). Led by Dr. Jürgen Unützer, elected officials, health care providers, and staff representing local, state, and federal governments had the opportunity to discuss innovative ways to transform mental health care in Washington state. Participants were also encouraged to collaborate directly with panelists on areas including perinatal mental health, mental health literacy for youth, family support, and using technology for training practitioners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additionally, key communications sent to members highlighted the following campus achievements and projects:

Husky 100

Each year, the University of Washington recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses from diverse areas of study. The distinction of “Husky 100” is awarded to student leaders who go the extra mile in applying their educational experiences to make a difference on campus and in their communities. Based on the students’ legislative district, members were notified of the honorary distinction of those students who reside in their communities.

To read more about the Husky 100, click here.

CoMotion Labs – Electric Dream Factory Redefining Reality

Members and staff on the Senate Energy, Environment & Technology committee and the House Technology & Economic Development committee were encouraged to check out the immersive article Redefining Reality. The story features the Electric Dream Factory (a local virtual reality movie startup) that is using CoMotion’s services to change storytelling through virtual, augmented and mixed reality to create a new kind of viewing experience.

To learn more about the Electric Dream Factory and CoMotion Labs, click here.

To keep up with the latest from State Relations, check out our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

Late Thursday evening, the legislature passed the 2017-19 supplemental operating and capital budgets to Governor Inslee, marking the end of the 60-day legislative session. Though this session was short and intensely rigorous, the UW scored major victories in the final compromise budget. To read more details about the investments appropriated to the University, review the Final Compromise – 2018 Supplemental Operating and Capital Budgets brief prepared by our Office of Planning and Budgeting (OPB).

Highlighted investments in the supplemental operating budget include:

Adjustment to the UW’s Tuition Fund Split

UW Request:          $9.5 million

Final Budgeted:    $9 million

Maintenance and Operations for the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering (formerly CSE II)

UW Request:         $1.3 million

Final Budgeted:    $1 million

Additional Higher Education & UW Investments

Proposed funding to complete a doubling of enrollment at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering:

Final Budgeted:  $3 million

Proposed funding for the State Need Grant to help low-income students who are eligible to receive funding, but remain unserved:

$18.5 million is provided to serve approximately 4,600 additional students. The legislature intends to eliminate the waiting list over four years, serving all eligible students beginning in FY 2022.

 

Highlighted investments in the supplemental capital budget include:

College of Engineering Predesign

UW Request:         $600,000

Final Budgeted:    $600,000

Burke Museum Escalation & Financing Costs

UW Request:         $700,000

Final Budgeted:    $700,000

 

Now that the 2018 legislative session has concluded, the State Relations team will be moving our operations back to the Seattle campus. We look forward to hosting a post-session update on Tuesday, March 27 from 12:30pm to 1:30pm in Gerberding 142 in partnership with OPB. If you are available, we would love for you to join us to engage in further discussion about the final supplemental budgets and to answer any other legislative questions you may have!

Last, but certainly not least, the Office of State Relations would like to express our appreciation to everyone in the UW community, including our legislative representatives across all three campuses and our amazing alumni,  who helped make the 2018 legislative session a success. Thank you for your advocacy and support!

To keep up with the latest from State Relations, check out our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

 

Last week, both the Senate and the House released their versions of the 2017-19 supplemental operating and capital budget proposals. For further details about the proposed budgets and their impact on the university, read the Senate and House Leadership 2018 Supplemental Budget Proposals brief prepared by the UW Office of Planning & Budgeting.

Highlights of the Senate and House proposed operating budgets are as follows:

University Priority: Adjustment to the UW’s Tuition Fund Split

UW Request:          $9.5 million

Senate Proposed: $9 million

House Proposed: $9.5 million

University Priority: Maintenance and Operations for the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering (formerly CSE II)

UW Request:            $1.3 million

Senate Proposed:   $1 million

House Proposed:    $1 million

Additional Higher Education & UW Investments

Proposed funding for additional computer science enrollments at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering:

Senate Proposed: $3 million

House Proposed: $3 million

Proposed funding for the State Need Grant to help low-income students who are eligible to receive funding, but remain unserved:

Senate Proposed: $9.8 million to provide additional funding to 2,500 students

House Proposed: $25 million to provide additional funding to 6,200 students, with additional funding obligated in future years to eliminate the SNG backlog.

 

A critical part of the university’s legislative priorities on the capital budget was the passage of the 2017-19 biennial capital budget. On January 19, Gov. Inslee signed the 2017-19 capital budget, which you can read about here. Along with the passage of the capital budget, additional requests were communicated to the legislature.

Highlights of the Senate and House proposed capital budgets are as follows:

University Priority: College of Engineering Predesign

UW Request:            $600,000

Senate Proposed:   $600,000

House Proposed:    $600,000

University Priority: Burke Museum Escalation & Financing Costs

UW Request:            $700,000

Senate Proposed:   $0

House Proposed:    $700,000

Additional UW Investments

Proposed funding for the university’s major infrastructure for seismic upgrades within the UW’s building account:

Senate Proposed:   $3 million

House Proposed:    $3 million

 

The final budget is expected to be released by the end of session on March 8, 2018. While we wait for the final operating and capital budgets to be negotiated, the State Relations team will continue to be in contact with legislators and staff regarding key bills and the final budget.

To keep up with the latest from State Relations, check out our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

 

With the upcoming release of the Senate and House supplemental budget proposals next week, the State Relations team has been strategically planning and working to push the university’s legislative agendas. In lieu of the impending budget proposals, we were proud to host President Ana Mari Cauce in Olympia to reinforce the importance of bipartisan investment in the University of Washington.

President Cauce Visits Olympia

On Thursday, President Ana Mari Cauce made her second visit to Olympia for the 2018 legislative session. She met with Gov. Inslee, all four caucus leaders as well as key budget writers from the Senate and House.  President Cauce concluded her visit with dinner with several Presidents from the community and technical colleges.

Undergraduate Research Day

On Tuesday, our team was proud to host Dr. June Spector, Associate Professor from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Gabino Abarca, UW student and McNair Scholar, at Undergraduate Research Day. This event highlighted the dynamic research performed by undergraduate students and faculty from all six public baccalaureate college and universities across the state.

Lieutenant Governor, Cyrus Habib, kicked off the day by meeting with all event participants.

 

To follow, Sen. Kevin Ranker, Chair of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee, sponsored a resolution in recognition of the research and contributions made to the state by all six public, four-year institutions. In case you missed the resolution, click here to watch.

 

After the resolution, Dr. Spector and Gabino showcased their work which focused on the improvement of worker safety and productivity by studying how heat affects Washington’s agricultural workforce.

 

From President Cauce’s visit to Undergraduate Research Day, this week has given our team the opportunity to showcase some of the best of UW. The legislature also kept things busy with lots of bills being passed off the floor before the House of Origin floor cutoff that happened on Wednesday. Any bills that didn’t cross over to the other chamber are not likely to be passed before session ends on March 8.

Early next week, we are looking forward to the release of the Senate and House supplemental budget proposals. Stay tuned for our updates and analysis from the university’s Office of Planning & Budgeting.

To keep up with the latest from State Relations, check out our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

 

It’s day 33 of session and we have just passed fiscal committee cutoff. At this point, bills that have not made it out of the Senate Ways and Means committee or the House Appropriations committee will not continue through the legislative process. While members are on the floor considering legislation, we have been tracking bills that impact the UW and reinforces the University’s legislative priorities. Additional updates to share:

2017 NCAA Championship Winning UW Women’s Rowing Team Recognized

On Wednesday, February 7, Sen. Wellman sponsored a resolution in recognition of the achievements of the University’s Women’s Rowing Team and 2017 CRCA Coach of the Year, Yasmin Farooq. Last year, the team swept all three grand finals, making them first program in 21 years of the NCAA Rowing Championship to accomplish this alethic triumph. In case you missed it, watch the resolution here, and read more about our champions here.

 

Senate Votes to Confirm Student Regent Goddard

That same evening, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm UW Law student Jaron Goddard to the University’s Board of Regents. Sen. Liias, member of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee, spoke in favor of her nomination. To watch the floor vote, click here. Congratulations, Regent Goddard!

Huskies on the Hill

Last Monday, January 29, Over 100 students and alumni joined together in Olympia for Huskies on the Hill. Students and alums spent the morning and afternoon meeting with legislators from the Senate and House. To read an article about the event, click here.

 

 

Additionally, all participants had an opportunity to meet with Gov. Jay Inslee, Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, and Secretary of State, Kim Wyman.

To further engage in the legislative process and bolster support for the ASUW legislative agenda, students and staff from the University’s Brotherhood Initiative also joined in the event.

We are now more than halfway through the 2018 legislative session. With the house of origin cutoff rapidly approaching next week, we are gearing up for President Cauce’s second visit to Olympia and looking forward to the release of the Senate’s proposed supplemental budget with the House to follow. Continue to read our blog and follow our social media for updates as we enter the final home stretch of the 2018 legislative session.

To keep up with the latest from State Relations, check out our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.

In addition to the passage of the final 17-19 capital budget last Friday, weeks 2 and 3 of the 2018 legislative session has had the following highlights:

President Cauce Visits Olympia

On Tuesday, January 16 President Ana Mari Cauce made her first visit to Olympia for the 2018 legislative session. In the continued effort to champion the University’s legislative priorities, she met with Governor Jay Inslee and legislators in both the Senate and House. President Cauce also had the opportunity to meet and engage with UW students who are currently serving as interns for the session. Her visit concluded at the Council of Presidents (COP) reception. As COP Chair, President Cauce gave a warm welcome to all attendees as well as connected with other university presidents, higher education leaders, stakeholders, and advocates.

Committee Hearings for Regents

On the same day, the confirmation hearings of Regents Joel Benoliel and Jaron Goddard in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee occurred. As a part of the process, Regents Benoliel and Goddard provided opening statements about their commitments to service to the UW as well as answered questions asked by members of the committee.  Both were unanimously confirmed and our team couldn’t be more proud of Regents Benoliel and Goddard for their leadership. To watch the hearing, click here.

Legislative Testimony Highlight

In week 2, Ian Goodhew, Director of Government Relations for UW Medicine in partnership with Washington State University (WSU) testified in support of HB 2443 to add WSU’s college of medicine to the family medicine network in the House Health Care & Wellness committee. In case you missed it, click here to check out the hearing of the bill.

UW-Tacoma Advisory Board Day

Yesterday, Chancellor Pagano and members of the UW-Tacoma Advisory Board met with key legislators in the Senate and House to advocate for further support of the University’s tuition fund split request as well as funding for a UW-Tacoma pre-law program.

Heading into week 4, we’re rapidly approaching policy cutoff on Friday, February 2. We’ll continue to keep you updated on key events and the progress of our agenda.

To keep up with the latest from Olympia, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions about state topics, please call 206-543-7604.