Tag Archives: House Appropriations

Fiscal Committees Work Long Days to Meet Deadline

Posted on by
Reply

All policy bills in fiscal committees must move from committee to the floor by the end of today (April 7).

The fiscal committees in both chambers spent long hours yesterday taking testimony on over sixty bills combined.  Today both committees will hold a brief public hearing and then spend the remainder of the day advancing bills from committee to the floor.

A handful of higher education policy bills are on the list to advance to the next step. Many more have already moved directly from the policy committees to the floor. Bills that are expected to advance from fiscal committee to the floor today include:

  • HB 1138: Creates a task force on mental health and suicide prevention in higher education
  • HB 1546: Makes changes to dual credit programs offered by higher education institutions
  • HB 1825: Aligns state residency policies with federal policies
  • HB 2041: Creates a pilot project on performance-based scholarships in the state need grant program
  • SB 5518: Creates procedures to address campus sexual violence
  • SB 5534: Creates the certified public accounting scholarship program
  • SB 5746: Adds Everett Community College as an aerospace training or educational program
  • SB 5851: Concerns recommendations of the college bound scholarship program work group

House Advances Operating Budget

Posted on by
Reply

This evening the House Appropriations committee took executive action to advance a proposed biennial operating budget to the House floor.

The committee passed a substitute bill which makes several changes to investments in higher education.  The substitute reallocates funds for Evergreen by reducing the $750,000 appropriated for student success and degree completion appropriations by $300,000 and reallocating these funds to support the computer science program and meet student demand at the College.  The total investment for Evergreen remains $750,000.

The substitute also:

  • Corrects enrollment figures for the community and technical colleges and the University of Washington
  • Reduces appropriations for computer science and engineering enrollments at the University of Washington
  • Increases the amounts for the Family Medical Residency Network
  • Increases the appropriation for the State Need Grant by $1.85 million
  • Provides funds for the Latino Health Center at the University of Washington, and
  • Increases the amount of funding for computer science and engineering at the University of Washington and decreases funding for Washington State University’s medical school.

Finally the substitute bill allows the Department of Corrections to implement postsecondary education degree programs within funding provided in the appropriation for offender change and programming.  Evergreen supported similar policy legislation this session

The House’s proposed operating budget now moves to the floor for further consideration.

Public Hearings on Budgets Continue, House Takes Testimony on Operating Biennial Budget

Posted on by
Reply

This afternoon Evergreen testified before the House Appropriations Committee on the proposed  biennial operating budget.

The House’s proposed budget freezes tuition at current rates over the next biennium.  The budget provides dollars to offset the tuition freeze, providing funds to increase compensation and inflationary costs at institutions. The budget appropriates $2.954 million to Evergreen to offset the tuition freeze..

In addition the House increases funding for the State Need Grant by $53 million. The funds are
expected to serve approximately 24 percent of the currently 34,500 unserved students as well as increase private award amounts by 3.5% per year beginning in FY 2017. The budget also provides $60 million to provide the state’s match for the Washington Opportunity Scholarship Program. The budget also suspends the Washington Scholars Program, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, Community Match Program, Foster Care Endowment, and Future Teachers Loan Repayment and Conditional Scholarship Program.

Finally the budget makes investments in  three other key areas including medical education, computer science, and student support services. Evergreen would receive $750,000 to expand student advising and support services that lead to increased degree completion but no funds to eliminate the student wait list in computer science at Evergreen.

Evergreen spoke to the investments for higher education.  In particular Evergreen shared its support for several investments that will directly impact and support Evergreen students, including funding for the State Need Grant and Opportunity scholarship, funds to support a tuition freeze for resident, undergraduate students, and an investment in compensation for faculty and staff.

The budget also makes an investment in support services for students at Evergreen. These funds will allow Evergreen to continue to be a leader in four-year graduation rates, time to degree and credit efficiency for a diverse student population.

Evergreen expressed strong concern about the lack of support to reduce or eliminate the current wait list for computer science at the College.

The House Appropriations committee will take executive action on the budget tomorrow afternoon in Committee.

Next Week Deadlines and Money

Posted on by
Reply

Next  week the House and Senate will continue to advance policy legislation forward in the process. Both chambers have until April 1 to advance policy bills to either a fiscal committee or the floor of the opposite chamber.

The House and Senate Higher Education committees will each meet once to take final action on any policy legislation this session.

In addition, the House Capital Budget is scheduled for a public hearing on the House’s proposed biennial capital budget on Monday followed by an executive session on the budget on Tuesday.

It is expected that the Senate will release its budget proposals either sometime next week or early in the week after.

Finally between policy deadlines and budget news, the House and Senate fiscal committees will begin the long work of advancing bills to the floor. Both chamber must move all bills to the floor in the opposite chamber by April 7, unless the legislation is deemed necessary to implement the budget.

Another Deadline Passes

Posted on by
Reply

Today the Legislature met and passed another major deadline on the way to adjournment. All bills that were referred to a fiscal committee must have advanced from committee to the floor to be considered still in play.

There are a handful of bills that are deemed necessary to implement the budget that will be in play until the end, but for the majority of policy bills today was do or die.

Both the Senate and House fiscal committees held brief public hearings to advance a handful of bills to the next step in the process before the deadline this evening. The majority of time by both committees was spent taking action on the long list of bills that have been in front of the committees all week.

The Senate Ways & Means committee did not take action on any higher education bills related to the public, four-year institutions today. The House Appropriations advanced only a few, including legislation to remove tuition-setting authority from higher education institutions (HB 1696), align state residency laws for veterans with federal law (HB 1825), and creating a pilot project on performance-based scholarships in the State Need Grant program (HB 2041).

Next week the Senate and House will spend time on their respective floors to advance legislation from one chamber to the other chamber for further consideration.  Bills must have moved from their respective floors to the other chamber by the end of day on March 11.

Money Committees Take Action on Legislation

Posted on by
Reply

Today the Senate and House appropriation committees held marathon sessions. Both committees continued public hearings on legislation and began the hard work of deciding what bills to advance to the floor.

The House began early this morning with a schedule to hear public testimony on thirty separate bills, followed by a long list of bills to be considered for executive action.

Among the bills the committee heard public testimony were: HB 1696 which returns tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students to the operating budget, HB 1812 which would require WSAC to design and implement a program that provides information to high-achieving, low-income high school studetns to increase applications from these students to public and independent, non-profit baccalaureate institutions in Washington, and HB 2041 which establishes a performance based pilot project within the State Need Grant program.

The House finished a long day by moving a handful of higher education related bills to the floor.  Among those bills advanced to the next stage was legislation to enhance public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education (HB 1704),  and legislation that amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014 (HB 1825).

While the Senate Ways & Means Committee heard only a few bills this afternoon, the majority of their time was spent advancing bills to the floor.

The Senate moved several higher education related bills:

  • SB 5954: Creates the College Affordability Program (CAP). Removes tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students for the public baccalaureate institutions. Beginning in the 2015-16 academic year, tuition fees for resident undergraduates must be no more than the following: for community and technical colleges, 6 percent of the state’s average wage; for the regional universities and The Evergreen State College, 10 percent of the state’s average wage; and for the research universities, 14 percent of the state’s average wage. Beginning with the 2015-17 operating budget, the Legislature must appropriate to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and each four-year institution of higher education an amount that is at least equal to the total state funds appropriated in the 2013-15 biennium plus the reduction in revenues from resident undergraduate tuition operating fees received for the 2015-17 fiscal biennium under this act, adjusted for inflation. Additionally, the dollar value of the building fee must not be reduced below the level in the 2014-15 academic year, adjusted for inflation.
  • SB 5851: Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.
  • SB 5561: A child of a veteran or National Guard member is eligible for a full tuition waiver at a Washington State institution of higher education if one of the child’s parents became totally disabled as a result of active service, was a prisoner of war, or lost their life as a result of serving in active duty, and the child: is a Washington domiciliary between the age of 17 and 26; or meets one of eight federal requirements for receiving education assistance.
  • SB 5547: SNG recipients must maintain a 2.5 GPA to be eligible for renewal, unless the student attends The Evergreen State College (TESC). Students enrolled at TESC must meet the requirements of the college’s satisfactory academic progress policy to remain
    eligible for the SNG program.
  • SB 5355: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.

More Higher Education Bills Heard by Appropriations Committee

Posted on by
Reply

This afternoon the House Appropriations heard testimony on two higher education related bills.

  • HB 1546: Makes change to the dual credit opportunities provided by Washington’s public institutions of higher education.
  • HB 1825: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.

While no higher education bills are before the Senate Ways & Means committee tomorrow. The House Appropriations committee will hear public testimony on legislation to enhance public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education (HB 1704) and the UW/WSU medical school legislation (HB 1559).

Bills and Budgets Move

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday the House and Senate were busy as sine die looms in two weeks.

Senate

In the late afternoon the Senate passed a proposed operating budget off the floor with a vote of 41-8.
Following the vote on the floor, the Senate Higher Education Committee convened for the last time this session. The Committee advanced several gubernatorial appointments to the Senate for confirmation. Held a public hearing on a handful of bills and moved several more bills forward for further consideration.

Among the bills heard by the Committee was legislation requiring higher education institutions to adopt a policy to award academic credit to individuals for certain military training courses and programs as well as share this information with students (HB 1858). Evergreen signed-in to support the bill.

The Committee took action on several additional bills which now advance in the process. Among those bills passed by the Committee:

  • HB 2546 – Cleans up outdated statutes pertaining to general obligation bonds that were issued for higher education capital projects and that have matured and provides expiration dates and clarifications for certain higher education provisions and programs. Referred to Rules Committee.
  • HB 2694 –  Creates an informational program to increase applications from high-achieving low-income students to selective institutions of higher education. Referred to Ways & Means Committee.
  • HB 2613 – Changes to business practices resulting in greater efficiency and effectiveness for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions. It is worth noting that the bill was amended to allow the Washington Higher Education Facilities Authority to increase the allowable bonded indebtedness of the authority from $1 billion to $1.5 billion.
    Referred to Ways & Means Committee.
  • HB 2626 – Acknowledges the recommendations in the higher education ten-year Roadmap, the Legislature is encouraged by WSAC’s efforts to meet the following two educational attainment goals in order to meet the societal and economic needs of the future: (1) All adults in Washington ages 25 to 44 will have a high school diploma or equivalent by 2023; and (2) At least 70 percent of Washington adults ages 25 to 44 will have a postsecondary credential by 2023. Referred to Rules Committee.

House

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education advanced several bills forward in the process. Among those bills passed by the Committee:

  • SB 5969 – Requires each public higher education institution to adopt a policy to award academic credit for military training courses or programs and to provide a copy of the policy to enrolled students who have listed prior or present military service in their application.
  • SB 6436 – Creates a College Bound Scholarship Work Group consisting of legislators and stakeholders to make recommendations for making the program viable. The Work Group must submit their report to the Governor and the Legislature by December 31 2014.

Higher Education Talks 2013 Session with Committees

Posted on by
Reply

This week Washington’s four-year public institutions shared with legislators the impact of Governor Gregoire’s proposed budget on higher education and invited legislators to partner with the institutions in prioritizing higher education in policy and funding discussions.

On Tuesday the public baccalaureate institutions testified on Governor Gregoire’s proposed biennial budget for higher education.

Members of  the House Appropriations Committee heard appreciation from the institutions for the acknowledgment Gregoire gave to the dramatic reductions in state funding the public four-year institutions have experienced since the begining of the recession. In particular, the shift in the cost of education from the state to Washington students and families.

Institutions also expressed that the proposal challenges Washington’s public universities and college because the proposed funding levels are insufficient to meet the basic operating needs of the institutions and does not respond to institutional requests for enhancements to sustain current performance and build capacity for access.

The public baccalaureate institutions asked legislators to partner with the institutions to support a biennial investment of $225 in state funding for the institutions. In return, the institutions would freeze resident undergraduate tution for the biennium as well as use the much needed investment to continue to sustain and build capacity for meeting critical state goals for higher education.

On Wednesday the public baccalaureates shared a similar message with the House Higher Education Committee.  The Council of Presidents presented an overview of the impact of the last five years on Washington’s public four-year institutions followed by presentations from each of the universities and college.

The work session provided the opportunity for the institutions to share with legislators, many of which are new to the Legislature, about their institutions as well as highlight institutional policy priorities for the session.

 

2013 Legislative Session Kicks-Off

Posted on by
Reply

Today the Washington Legislature convened the 2013 legislative session. The session will focus on several large issues including the budget, K-12 funding, and healthcare. The session starts with a new governor and a Senate led by 23 Republicans and two Democrats.

This Week

This week will focus on organization of the Legislature, work sessions, and some bill hearings. Both the House and Senate will likely spend a good deal of time over the next few weeks in learning mode. 

Here is a snapshot of the week ahead as it relates to higher education:

January 15

  • 8 a.m. – House Higher Education Committee, which will hear about the newly formed Washington Student Achievement Council (which replaced the Higher Education Coordinating Board).
  • 11:30 a.m.- Gov. Gregoire will deliver her final State of the State Address to a joint session of the House and Senate.
  • 3:30 p.m. – House Appropriations. Public hearing on Gov. Gregoire’s operating budget proposals focused on K-12 and higher education.

January 16

  • Noon – Governor Inslee’s Inaugural Address will begin; look for a Republican response to immediately follow.
  • 1:30 p.m. – House Higher Education will hold a work session on the Higher Education Policy Priorities for 2013 of the Council of Presidents and the public, baccalaureate institutions.
  • 3:30 p.m.- Senate Ways & Means Committee will discuss the state’s operating and capital budgets.

January 17

  • 9:00 a.m. – House Education will get an update on the K-12 Student Longitudinal Data System and hear from the Education Research and Data Center on current projects.
  • 10:00 a.m. – House Higher Education hold a work session on the higher education priorities of stakeholders for the 2013 session

Legislature

Today the House and Senate will formally organize the leaders for each chamber and swear in new members.

All eyes will be on the Senate Monday when it convenes at noon for what is expected to be a historic moment . Senate “rules” state that the party with the most seats is the majority; with the power shifting to Republicans, look for procedural floor motions to name Tom as majority leader and Sheldon as President Pro Tem, cementing the new Majority Coalition.

On the first day of session, typical business is to officially approve committee chairs, ranking members and committee membership, committee schedules, cutoff dates, and other operating procedures. This year’s opening events may also see the election of six (or more) committee chairs and vice chairs led by Republicans. It is also possible there may be votes for committees to be led by Democrats or co-chaired between the two parties.

In the House, the Democrats have a clear majority (55-43). Not unlike the Senate, the House will experience the addition of several new members to the chamber. In the House 20 new members have joined the chamber (9 Democrats and 11 Republicans).

Seattle-based Frank Chopp is expected to continue as Speaker of the House. In addition, Rep. Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor) will lead the House Higher Education Committee and will be joined by Rep. Gerry Pollett (D-Seattle) as vice chair. The ranking republican members will be Rep. Larry Haler (R-Richland) joined by Rep. Hans Zeiger (R-Puyallup).

Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Medina) will continue as chair of the House operating budget committee, which has been renamed as the Appropriations Committee. Republican Gary Alexander (R-Olympia) has been named the ranking member.

New this year is a true subcommittee on education appropriations that will be chaired by former school director Kathy Haigh (D-Shelton). The subcommittee will meet once during the week and will be comprised solely of legislators who are members of the larger Appropriations Committee.

Executive Branch

Tomorrow Governor Gregoire will give her departing speech. On Wednesday Governor- Elect Jay Inslee will outline his vision for the state in his inaugural address before a joint session of the House and Senate at noon.