Washington Senate Democrats Announce Commitee Assignments

Posted on December 19, 2014 by jgarver

This week the Washington Senate Democrats announced committee leadership and membership for the upcoming session.

Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles will be the ranking member on the Higher Education Committee. Kohl-Welles will be joined by Senators David Frockt and Marko Liias.

In addition, Senator Jim Hargrove will continue as the ranking member on Senate Ways & Means, Senator Karen Keiser will continue as assistant ranking on Ways & Means for capital, and Senator Kevin Ranker will continue as assistant ranking on Ways & Means for operating.

WA Senate Releases Committee Leaders and Committee Structure

Posted on December 10, 2014 by jgarver

This week the Washington State Senate released the committee structure for the 2015 session. The committee structure will resemble the committees from the prior legislative session with the exception of a new committee.

The Senate Accountability and Reform Committee, to be chaired by newly elected Senator Mark Miloscia, will focus on issues involving the management of government including transparency, efficiency programs and strategic planning.

Committee leadership, in general, provides for continuity from last session. Senator Barbara Bailey will continue to chair the Senate Higher Education Committee. In addition, Senator Andy Hill will Chair the Senate Ways & Means Committee and Senator Jim Honeyford will continue as Vice Co-Chair focusing on the capital budget.

Some of the changes for the 2015 session include:

Senator Michael Baumgartner will replace Senator Randi Becker as Vice Chair on Higher Education
Senator John Braun as Vice Co-Chair replacing Senator Michael Baumgartner and the addition of Senator Bruce Dammeier as Vice Chair with a focus on education finance
Newly-elected Senator Judy Warnick will replace Senator Brian Hatfield as chair of Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development
Senator Mike Baumgartner will replace former Senator Holmquist Newbry as Chair of Commerce and Labor
Senator Don Benton will replace the former Co-Chair structure of the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee replacing Co-Chair Steve Hobbs and Senator Jan Angel will take on the role as Vice Chair
Senator Mark Miloscia will replace Senator Kirk Pearson as Vice Chair of Human Services and Corrections
Senator Brian Dansel will serve as Vice Chair for Natural Resources and Parks
Senator Sharon Brown will replace Senator John Braun as Chair of Trade and Economic Development and Senator John Braun will replace Senator Jan Angel as Vice Chair
Senator Joe Fain will join Transportation as Vice Chair for the transportation budget and Senator Don Benton as Vice Chair.

WA Senate Majority Coalition Caucus Elects Leadership

Posted on December 3, 2014 by jgarver

Earlier this week the Majority Coalition Caucus (MCC) elected Senator Mark Schoesler as the Senate Majority leader. Schoesler previously served as Senate GOP leader.

The Caucus retained three top leaders from the prior session. Linda Evans Parlette of Wenatchee will remain caucus chair, Joe Fain of Auburn floor leader and Ann Rivers of La Center whip. In addition the MCC supported retaining Tim Sheldon (D) as the Senate’s president pro tempore a position elected by the full Senate.
Finally, the MCC made some changes to leadership:

John Braun was elected deputy leader, replacing Don Benton
Jan Angel was elected caucus vice chair, replacing Bruce Dammeier
Mark Miloscia was elected, replacing John Braun as deputy whip

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2014/12/01/3456017_mark-schoesler-elected-senate.html?sp=/99/101/112/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

Senate Committee Advances Higher Education Efficiencies Legislation

Posted on March 3, 2014 by jgarver

This afternoon the Senate Ways and Means Committee advanced an efficiency bill authored by the public baccalaureates and community and technical colleges.

The bill – HB 2613 – changes business practices resulting in greater efficiency and effectiveness for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions. Among the changes proposed is permissive authority to prorate paychecks for faculty on nine-month appointments, to change payroll frequency from semi-monthly to biweekly and changes to existing reporting requirements.

The bill now advances to the Senate floor for further consideration.

Senate Committee Advances Budget Proposals

Posted on February 27, 2014 by jgarver

Working late into the night the Senate Ways & Means Committee moved a proposed operating and capital budget to the Senate floor. Over sixty amendments were offered between the two budgets.

Ten amendments related to higher education were proposed. The following were amended to the budget:

The Joint Higher Education Committee must complete a thorough and holistic review of state financial aid programs. The scope of the work shall include completing an inventory of all state’s access, affordability, and merit programs; identifying which programs serve which populations; identifying gaps and duplications in service; and compiling any necessary research on existing programs. A final report is due to the Governor and appropriate Legislative committees by January 15 2015 and will include any recommendations for any improvements to state financial aid programs that will: (a) increase access to and affordability of, higher education in Washington for all students, (b) improve simplicity and transparency of the financial aid assistance available to students, and (c) efficiently utilize state resources in a manner that achieves serving more students.
Restores the Governor’s proposed 2014 supplemental budgeted FTE enrollment levels for the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.
Clarifies language with regard to funding and FTE levels contracted with Central Washington University, Western Washington University, and the University of Washington -Bothell as they relate to the University Center of North Puget Sound.
States that it is the intent of the Legislature to reconsider grant awards for students at private four-year institutions i the 2015-17 biennium.
Provides $410,000 for the mathematics engineering science achievement community college program.

The budgets now move to the Senate floor for consideration.

Senate Ways & Means Holds Hearing on Proposed Senate Operating and Capital Budgets

Posted on February 26, 2014 by jgarver

On Tuesday afternoon the Senate Ways & Means Committee held a public hearing on the Senate’s proposed 2014 supplemental operating and capital budgets. Evergreen, along with other higher education stakeholders, testified to the impact of the supplemental budgets on institutions and students.

The Committee is expected to hold an executive session on the budgets later today.

Operating Budget

Evergreen thanked the Senate for the investment in higher education in the biennial budget and shared with the Committee Evergreen’s commitment to not increase tuition in either academic year of the biennium. In addition, the College shared its support for the investment in the College Bound program, the State Need Grant with the passage of the Real Hope Act, and the Opportunity Scholarship.

Evergreen shared concerns with the committee about the inclusion of policy language to collect and distribute information with regard to student earnings post-graduation. Citing the importance of accurate and clear post-graduation success data, Evergreen testified with specific concerns about the validity and integrity of the data to be collected as proposed. Evergreen shared its support for a proposed amendment that was offered by the University of Washington when similar language was considered in the House Higher Education Committee.

Finally Evergreen shared the impact of budget reductions to the College in the biennial budget including reductions related to the absorption of IT savings and Lean Management efficiencies.

With regard to higher education, the supplemental budget proposed by the Senate supports the investment made in higher education in the 2013-15 biennial budget. The budget does extend the current tuition freeze to the second year of the biennium.

The budget makes a handful of investments in higher education including $5 million for the State Need Grant which was expanded under the Real Hope Act and $25 million to expand Opportunity Scholarships available and match the additional private contributions received. In addition the budget includes language for the Washington Student Achievement Council to conduct an assessment of the higher education needs of the city of Covington, the Washington State Auditor to conduct an audit of the use of dedicated local and operating fee accounts by Washington’s public higher education institutions and the Education Research and Data Center to collect and publish short-term and long-term earnings and employment data for completers of higher education degrees.

Capital Budget

Evergreen thanked the Senate for providing Evergreen with the authority to enter into a certificate of participation, through the Office of the State Treasurer, to purchase the building the College currently leases for the College’s Tacoma program.

Evergreen shared concerns with regard to a budget shift which moves $855,000 from General Obligation Bonds to Evergreen’s Capital Projects Account Fund.

With regard to higher education the Senate provided funding for a small number of projects across higher education. This includes authority for Evergreen to enter into a certificate of participation to purchase the existing facility in Tacoma for the College’s Tacoma program; $2 million to remove, clean and dispose of two underground diesel oil tanks at Central Washington University; and $50,000 to conduct a budget evaluation study of the Carver academic building renovation with OFM and Western Washington University.

Senate Releases Supplemental Operating and Capital Budgets

Posted on February 25, 2014 by jgarver

This afternoon the Washington Senate released a proposed 2014 Supplemental Operating and Capital budget.

The Senate proposal would boost the state’s $33.6 billion dollar budget by approximately $95.7 million. Of the $95.7 million over half ($52.1 million) is focused on net policy enhancements and increases including $5 million for the State Need Grant due to the passage of the Real Hope Act and $25 million for the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship Program. Much of the remainder ($43.5 million) is associated with maintenance level changes for caseload and other adjustments based on current law requirements including $12 million for higher than anticipated College Bound enrollments.

The Washington House is expected to release a proposed supplemental operating and capital budget later this week.

Higher Education

The supplemental budget proposed by the Senate supports the investment made in higher education in the 2013-15 biennial budget.

The budget also extends the tuition freeze for the first half of the biennium to the second year of the biennium.

Capital Budget

The Senate also proposed a supplemental capital budget for higher education. The Senate provided funding for a small number of projects across higher education. This includes authority for Evergreen to enter into a certificate of participation to purchase the existing facility in Tacoma for the College’s Tacoma program; $2 million to remove, clean and dispose of two underground diesel oil tanks at Central Washington University; and $50,000 to conduct a budget evaluation study of the Carver academic building renovation with OFM and Western Washington University.

WA Senate Confirms Evergreen Trustee

Posted on February 17, 2014 by jgarver

This morning the Washington Senate, in a vote of 45-0, confirmed Fred Goldberg as a trustee to The Evergreen State College Board of Trustees.

Fred Goldberg is a philanthropist, Army veteran, banker and entrepreneur. He helped found Saltchuk Resources, a global logistics company, currently the largest private company in Washington State. Recently retired from active management of the company, Fred continues to serve on the Saltchuk board. As a banker, Fred saw the evolution of the Thurston County State Bank into Puget Sound National Bank and then into Key Bank, serving in various leadership roles throughout the decades. He currently serves on the board of Columbia Bank.

Fred has deep roots in Olympia, where he operated his family’s third-generation furniture business, volunteered at the Washington State Capital Museum and helped the Panorama City retirement community regain financial stability in the 1990.

Higher Education Policy Committees Move Legislation as Deadline Nears

Posted on February 6, 2014 by jgarver

This week marks the first major deadline of the 2014 supplemental session. The policy committees in the House and Senate, including the House and Senate Higher Education Committees, must move bills forward to either the floor or the appropriations committee to keep them “alive” this session by the close of business on Wednesday. The same is true in the Senate with the deadline this Friday.

It is worth noting that a bill may not move forward by this deadline but may still be active because it is “Necessary to Implement the Budget” or may reappear as part of the budget.

The House Higher Education Committee held a series of public hearings on Tuesday morning. Among the bills taken up by the Committee included an audit of the state universities (HB 2038) and the creation of an Institute for Teaching Excellence (HB 2661).

Evergreen testified with concerns about proposed legislation that would design and implement a program that provides information to high achieving, low-income high school students with the intention of increasing the number of applications from this group four-year institutions of higher education in Washington (HB 2694). As drafted Evergreen expressed concerns about the inclusion of the term “selective” as it relates to identifying higher education institutions, the stated assumption in the bill that national aptitude tests are predictors of college success, and the need to ensure a broad range of options to identify high achieving students. Western Washington University also expressed concerns about the bill.

The Committee also moved several bills through to the next step. Among the bills the Committee to action was legislation to concerning mentoring and service learning opportunities in Washington (HB 2400), efficiency legislation for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions (HB 2613), establishing statewide educational attainment goals (HB 2626) and the creation of the Pay It Forward program (HB 2720).

In the afternoon the Senate Higher Education Committee held several public hearings on proposed legislation. Among the bills that the Committee focused its attention on was efforts to expand the display of metric information for the public baccalaureate institutions to include the branch campuses (SB 6482) and to provide a tuition and fee exemption to the children and surviving spouses of certain highway workers (SB 6370).

The Council of Presidents testified against Senate Bill 6043 which would cap tuition for undergraduate residents students so as not to exceed 10% of the most current average annual wage reported by the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD). The average annual wage reported by ESD in 2012 was $51,595.

The Committee also moved several gubernatorial appointments to higher education related boards forward to the Senate Floor for confirmation.

Washington Senate Passes DREAM Act

Posted on January 31, 2014 by jgarver

This afternoon the Washington Senate passed the Real Hope Act (SB 6523) with a vote of 35-10.

The bill would allow students to be eligible for the State Need Grant program if they met the following criteria:

Completed the full senior year of high school and obtained a diploma at a Washington public or private high school, or received the equivalent of a diploma;
Lived in Washington for at least three years immediately prior to receiving the diploma or its equivalent;
Continuously lived in the state after receiving the diploma or its equivalent and until being admitted to a public institution of higher education; and
Provided to the institution an affidavit indicating that the individual will file an application to become a permanent resident at the earliest opportunity the individual is eligible to do so and a willingness to engage in other activities necessary to acquire citizenship.

Granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) Status;
Completed the full senior year of high school and obtained a diploma at a Washington public or private high school, or received the equivalent of a diploma;
Lived in Washington for at least three years immediately prior to receiving the diploma or its equivalent; and
Continuously lived in the state after receiving the diploma orits equivalent and until
being admitted to a public institution of higher education.

The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

Office of Governmental Relations

Tag Archives: Washington Senate