Tag Archives: Washington Senate

Senate Takes Public Testimony on Proposed Operating Budget

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This afternoon Evergreen testified before the Senate Ways & Means Committee on the proposed biennial operating budget.

The Senate’s proposed budget reduces resident undergraduate tuition to a percentage of the state average wage. The budget would reduce the research institutions by 18% in 2016 and 14% in 2017 and the comprehensive institutions and Evergreen by 12% in 2016 and 10% in 2017. The budget provides dollars to offset the loss revenue from a tuition reduction for institutions. The budget provides $5.659 million to Evergreen to offset this reduction.

The budget provides $22 million to the Washington Opportunity Scholarship Program for the state’s match. The budget also suspends the Washington Scholars Program, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, and Future Teachers Loan Repayment and Conditional Scholarship Program.

Finally the budget makes investments in other key areas including medical education; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and compensation. The budget appropriates $3 million to increase the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded for STEM and $1.518 million for employee compensation.

Evergreen spoke to the investments for higher education.  In particular Evergreen shared its support for investments that will directly impact and support Evergreen students, including funding to support the tuition reduction policy and recognition for the need to make an investment in employee compensation.

The budget also makes an investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics  for Evergreen. These funds will be used to eliminate the current wait list for computer science at the College.

While Evergreen expressed support for funding for the College Bound Scholarship program and the Opportunity Scholarship, Evergreen expressed strong concern about the lack of investment for the State Need Grant.

Finally, Evergreen asked to work with policymakers regarding policy language in the budget and the impact of proposed LEAN efficiencies.

The Senate Ways & Means committee will take executive action on the budget tomorrow afternoon.

Washington Senate Releases Operating Budget

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This afternoon the Washington Senate released a proposed 2015-17 biennial operating budget.  The budget provides a $4.1 billion increase from current spending levels. The net increase represents policy level additions, savings and transfers. The budget leaves $487 million in the ending fund balance.

The budget makes several investments including funding for K-12 education ($1.3 billion), enhancements for higher education ($300 million), general government compensation increases ($113 million), expanded preschool and funding for the Early Start Act ($95 million),  and mental health related programs ($90 million).

The budget includes savings by maximizing the Hospital Safety net funding mechanism ($190 million), implementing additional LEAN management efforts ($49 million), and reducing state employee health care spousal coverage and lowering the retiree subsidy payment ($53 million).

Higher Education

The Senate’s proposed budget reduces resident undergraduate tuition to a percentage of the state average wage. The budget would reduce the research institutions by 18% in 2016 and 14% in 2017 and the comprehensive institutions and Evergreen by 12% in 2016 and 10% in 2017. The budget provides dollars to offset the loss revenue from a tuition reduction for institutions.

The budget provides $22 million to the Washington Opportunity Scholarship Program for the state’s match. The budget also suspends the Washington Scholars Program, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, and Future Teachers Loan Repayment and Conditional Scholarship Program.

Finally the budget makes investments in  other key areas:

  • Funding is provided to the Washington State University to establish a medical school in Spokane. Two and half million is appropriated to support the accreditation process and two and half million is appropriated to the University of Washington to support the continued education of medical students enrolled in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) program located in Spokane. Finally $9.4 million is provided to the health professional loan program.
  • Funding is provided to increase the number of bachelor’s degrees in STEM for all six public baccalaureate institutions ($20 million).
  • Funding is provided to expand programs at WSU Everett, including software engineering, sustainable food systems, data analytics, and aviation management ($2.4 million).
  • Funding is provided for higher education compensation.  Each institution is provided with a $1,000 increase in salary each fiscal year of the biennium for full-time employees and proportionately less for part-time employees ($114 million).

Evergreen

The Senate’s budget reduces tuition for undergraduate, resident students for the biennium at Evergreen. The budget provides $5.659 million to Evergreen to offset the tuition reduction.

In addition the budget provides The Evergreen College $3 million to increase the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The budget provides for an increase in employee compensation ($506,000 FY2016 and $1.012 million FY2017).

Finally, the budget does not provide new funds for student support services.

Next Steps

The Senate Ways & Means Committee will continue the public hearing tomorrow, April 1 at 1:00 and take executive action on the bill later in the day.

The Week Ahead: Committees and Policy

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This week is the first full week of policy committees post floor session.  Committees in both the House and Senate will hold public hearings and decide which bills from the opposite chamber to advance.  All policy bills, unless deemed necessary to implement the budget, must have moved from a policy committee to either a fiscal committee or the floor by April 1.

House Higher Education

The House Higher Education Committee will hold a work session focused on student consumer protection at for-profit, private colleges followed by a public hearing on legislation to conduct a study of the cost drivers at Washington’s public institutions (SB 5133) and streamlining statutes for the community and technical colleges (SB 5977).

Later this week the committee will hold a public hearing on legislation that advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the College Bound Scholarship program (SB 5851), extends eligibility to students enrolled/accepted for enrollment for at least three quarter credits in a qualifying higher education program for the State Need Grant (SB 5638), creates a wildlife college student loan program (SB 5318), and aligns state student veteran residency with federal student veteran residency requirements (SB 5355).

Senate Higher Education

The Senate Higher Education Committee will hold a series of public hearings on Tuesday and Thursday focused on a range of issues.  Among the bills scheduled include legislation to require WSAC to report to the legislature regarding the affordability of the higher education system (HB 1238), remove tuition-setting authority for public baccalaureate institutions (HB 1696), and a series of bills that would benefit student veterans.

The Senate will also hold a work session on Central Washington University’s online alternative credit model proposal.

Midpoint Reached – Now Budget Time and Policy in the Opposite Chamber

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The Legislature passed another major deadline last night. All bills, unless necessary to implement the budget, must have moved to the opposite chamber. With this the Legislature also moved from policy mode to budget mode.

The Legislature has until April 27 in the regular session to pass a biennial operating, capital and transportation budget. The Senate took action to advance transportation in the last few weeks while on the floor, but the shape and size of the operating and capital budgets have yet to be determined.  It is expected that the House will release a proposed biennial operating and capital budget at the end of March, to be followed by the Senate.  Between now and then budget writers are talking and rumors are flying.

Until the budget releases steal the show, legislators will return to the committee structure to advance policy bills through policy committees, fiscal committees, and the floor. The next major deadline is April 1 – and this is no joke -when policy bills must have moved out of the opposite chamber’s committees and either to a fiscal committee or the floor to be considered “alive” this session.

Last week both the House and Senate advanced several higher education related bills to the opposite chamber for further consideration.  In the final days of floor session, both chambers moved additional higher education related legislation.

  • HB 1559/SB 5487 – UW/WSU medical school legislation.
  • HB 1704 – Enhances public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education
  • HB 1825 – Aligns state residency laws for veterans with federal law
  • SB 5328 -Requires public baccalaureate institutions to provide financial aid application due dates and information in written or electronic for to prospective and admitted students
  • SB 5534 – Establishes a certified public accounting scholarship
  • SB 5620 – Authorize waivers of building fees and services and activities fees for certain military service members
  • SB 5841 – Creates a tuition and fees exemption for children and surviving spouses of certain highway workers

Legislature Advances Bills to Next Chamber, Long Hours on the Floor

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The Washington Legislature must move all bills, unless necessary to implement the budget, from one chamber to the other by close of business on March 11.

After a week of floor action, the Senate and House have the weekend and the first half of next week to continue to advance legislation to the opposite chamber.  Both have worked long hours all week to move several bills forward ranging from legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage to a transportation budget package to recognizing March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day.

Several bills that directly impact higher education have passed this latest hurdle.

  • HB 1031: Expands participation in College in the High School beyond grades 11 and 12 to students in 10th grade.
  • HB 1052:  Requires institutions of higher education to make an early registration process available to spouses and domestic partners of active members of the military.
  • HB 1138: Creates a task force on mental health and suicide prevention in higher education.
  • HB 1236: Allows certain school personnel to witness a student’s college bound scholarship pledge if the student’s parent or guardian is unavailable.
  • HB 1238: Requires the Washington Student Achievement Council to report to the Legislature by Decemer 15, 2016, regarding the affordability of the higher education system.
  • HB 1439: Establishes an online alternative credit model at Central Washington University.
  • HB 1532: Concerns budget submissions for capital design and construction at institutions of higher education.
  • HB 1570: Creates flexibility for the educator retooling conditional scholarship program.
  • HB 1644: Concerning veteran survivor tuition waiver eligibility.
  • HB 1696:  Removes tuition-setting authority from higher education institutions.
  • HB 1706: Authorizes waivers of building fees and services and activities fees for certain military service members.
  • HB 1863: Modifies collective bargaining law related to providing additional compensation for academic employees at community and technical colleges.
  • HB 1961:  A “clean up” bill for the community and technical colleges.
  • SB 5133: Concerning a study of higher education cost drivers.
  • SB 5295: Concerning the display of campus information on the statewide public four-year dashboard.
  • SB 5318: Establishes a wildlife college student loan 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.
  • SB 5518: Creates procedures to address campus sexual violence.
  • SB 5638: Students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment for at least three quarter credits, or the equivalent semester hours, in a qualifying higher education program are eligible for the State Need Grant.
  • SB 5719: Creates a task force on campus sexual violence prevention.
  • SB 5851:  Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.

Legislature Spends Day on the Floor

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Today was the first day the Washington Senate and House gathered on their respective floors to begin deliberation on legislation. Both chambers have until the end of day on March 11 to move bills to the opposite chamber.

With regard to higher education a few bills were advanced today. Among those moving over to the other chamber included:

HB 1961 : A “clean up” bill for the community and technical colleges

HB 1031: Expands participation in College in the High School beyond grades 11 and 12 to students in 10th grade.

HB 1052:  Requires institutions of higher education to make an early registration process available to spouses and domestic partners of active members of the military.

Money Committees Move Quickly to Advance Legislation

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The appropriation committees in the House and Senate kicked off the week with long sessions of public hearings on dozens of bills.  Friday, March 27 marks another major deadline in the legislative process. Bills that have been moved to an appropriations committee in either the House or the Senate must have moved from the committee to the floor by the end of the day.

The Senate Ways & Means Committee heard several higher education related bills this afternoon, including:

  • 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.

The House Appropriations committee is expected to take up a handful of higher education bills tomorrow including:

  • 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.

Senate Higher Education Committee Engages with Evergreen Trustee

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This afternoon the Washington Senate Higher Education Committee held a public hearing and engaged in a conversation with three trustees from Washington’s public higher education institutions – Bellevue College, Everett Community College, and The Evergreen State College.

The Senate Committee asked several questions of the trustees ranging from what is the one thing you hope to do in your current role to what is your perspective on tuition policy.

Nick Wootan, the current student trustee, shared his thoughts with regard to tuition, the need for investment in higher education, and the role of student voice in higher education.