2011 Legislative Session: Week 10

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Next week will be filled with a mix of work sessions and committee hearings primarily on bills from the opposite chamber and on a handful of bills that are deemed necessary to implement the budget.

Several bills that may impact higher education are scheduled for a public hearing next week including legislation that would provide regulatory relief for higher education institutions and alter the current retire/rehire practice for higher education employees.

In addition a public hearing is scheduled on SB 5717 which would implement the Governor’s Higher Education Task Force Recommendations and an executive session is scheduled on SB 5182, which would restructure higher education in Washington. In addition, a work session on higher education funding in House Ways & Meansis also scheduled. Please see the links below for a list of all the hearings that might be of interest.

Also next week the State revenue forecast will be released on March 17. It is expected that the forecast will soon be followed by the release of the first biennial budget. The House writes a budget first this year and the earliest we may catch a glimpse of it is March 21. 

However this may change if the revenue forecast is significantly large and increases the $4.6 billion gap for the 2011-13 operating budget. Originally lawmakers were hearing an additional shortfall of $500 million; estimates are now creeping up to the $2 billion mark. In that case proposed budgets may not be released until a week later (Week of March 28).

Evergreen Testifies in Support of Vet Friendly Bill

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This afternoon the Washington Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee held a public hearing on legislation referred to committee.

Among the legislation heard, was HB 1221, regarding the rights of certain higher education students involved in military service. In particular the bill would allow a student at an institution of higher education who is a member of the Washington National Guard or other military reserve component and is ordered for 30 days or less into active or inactive service is entitled to make up any missed class, test, exam, lab, or event without affecting the final course grade or evaluation.

Students currently called for active service are able to make up any assignments without affecting the final course grade or evaluation.

The Evergreen State College testified in support of HB 1221, advocating for the predictability and stability this bill would offer veterans attending higher education institutions in Washington.

U.S. Senate Does Not Pass Either Budget Bill

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Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted 44 to 56  against H.R. 1, a seven-month fiscal year (FY) 2011 spending bill passed by the House on Feb. 19. 

H.R. 1 would have cut 2011-12 Pell Grant awards by $845 — more than 15 percent — and would have eliminated funding for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).

The Senate also voted 42 to 58 to defeat a Democratic alternative FY2011 spending bill that would have trimmed an additional $6.5 billion from current spending levels, but would not have cut funding for Pell or FSEOG. Sixty votes were needed to pass either measure.

The Senate’s inability to pass either spending bill means lawmakers will have to yet again restart negotiations to craft a FY2011 spending package that will garner sufficient support in the House and Senate.

The federal government is currently being funded by a two-week continuing resolution (CR) that will expire on March 18. Because it is unlikely that Republicans and Democrats will be able to agree on a spending package before the current CR expires, Republican leaders in the House began planning another short-term CR to give more time to debate a long-term CR. Early reports indicate that House Republicans will propose $2 billion in cuts for every week the short-term CR covers.

Washington Policy Committees Hear Impact of Potential Budget Reductions in Higher Education

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The Washington House and Senate policy committees on higher education heard from institutions and students about the consequences that lie ahead if state funding is reduced.

In December the Governor released a proposed operating budget for the four-year, public baccalaureate institutions that if implemented will have reduced state funding by 50% for these institutions in the last three years.

In February the four-year, public baccalaureate institutions were asked to provide potential impacts if state funding was reduced beyond the Governor’s proposed budget by an additional 15% and 30%.  It is the potential consequences of the loss of state funding at these levels that prompted the work sessions this morning in the House and this afternoon in the Senate.

Mike Reilly – Executive Director, Council of Presidents – presented an overview of the impact of the proposed budget models on the four-year, public baccalaureate sector.

According to the Council of Presidents,  the loss of state funding under consideration would drastically alter higher education in Washington sector-wide.

  • Reduced access for resident undergraduates (up to 3,000 slots under the Governor’s cut level alone and up to 10,000 at the higher reduction levels)
  • Fewer slots in STEM and other high-demand degree programs
  • Increased time to degree (each additional term costs students $6,000-$8,000)
  • Large increases in tuition
  • Loss of thousands of jobs, less student support

The Evergreen State College was represented by Ken Tabbutt, Interim Provost and Julie Garver, Director of Government Relations. Tabbutt expressed what is at stake not only for the state but for Evergreen students and for the College’s local and regional economies.

Committee Hears Bill that Would Provide Greater Stability for Some Financial Aid Programs

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This week committees in both chambers held public hearings and work sessions in preparation for the next legislative deadline (March 25 for policy bills) and the development of the biennial budgets.

This afternoon the House Ways & Means Committee held a public hearing on a bill that would provide greater stability for Washington citizens who are eligible for the College Bound Scholarship Program and the State Need Grant.

Senate Bill 5304 would require the Caseload Forecast Council to forecast the anticipated number of students eligible for the State Need Grant and the College Bound Scholarship programs who are also expected to attend an institution of higher education. These forecasts would be submitted to the Governor and the members of the legislative fiscal committees to  facilitate budget development.

The Washington Caseload Forecast Council is responsible for developing forecasts for the changing caseloads in state entitlement programs. Currently, the caseload forecast includes the demand for services in health and human services, K-12 education, and corrections.

The Evergreen State College testified in support of SB 5304.

Legislature Passes Another Major Deadline

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Monday March 7 marked a major deadline for bills to pass out of the chamber where they originated to remain under consideration this session. The exceptions to this cutoff are bills that have been or will be designated NTIB or “necessary to implement the budget”.

A handful of bills that would impact higher education were moved forward in the process and many more were left on the calendar.

For the next few weeks, House and Senate policy committees will take public testimony on bills that have already met the major hurdle of passing the chamber where they started. 

The next major deadline is March 25 when policy bills must be passed out of committee. It will be busy between now and then as legislators try to address remaining concerns about bills, change legislation to fit their vision of what constitutes a “good” bill, or put bills aside for this session.

Committees Hit Ground Running Hearing Bills from the Opposite Chamber

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The Legislature wasted no time engaging in public hearings and work sessions on bills from the opposite chamber.

Yesterday marked the passage of another major deadline for the legislative session. All bills must have moved from their chamber of origin to the opposite chamber. Bills deemed necessary to implement the budget are omitted from this deadline.

One day after this deadline, committees in both chambers were back at work holding public hearings and work sessions to continue to move bills through the process.

The Senate Higher Education Committee held a public hearing on referred House bills. Among the legislation the committee heard today was a bill (SHB 1822) to establish the first online university in Washington with the Western Governors University.  

The bill came to the Senate after passing the House 70-26. The Council of Presidents (COP) testified with concerns regarding the potential impact on state financial aid programs.

COP suggested language be amended to SHB 1822 that would require the Higher Education Coordinating Board to obtain the approval of the Legislature before allowing students at Western Governors University-Washington to utilize state need grant dollars. Similar language was amended to the Senate version of the bill (SB 5136) in the Ways & Means Committee.  Senate Bill 5136 did not pass the Senate by the March 7 deadline.

The Committee also held public hearings on a range of other bills including legislation that would create consistency in student financial aid programs and add a student representative to community and technical college boards.

U.S. Senate Releases Budget Proposal for Current Fiscal Year

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Today the U.S. Senate released their proposed budget bill to fund the federal government through the end of the current fiscal year.

The proposed budget bill would fully fund the Pell Grant program to maintain the $5,550 maximum award for the 2011-12 award year and maintain funding for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). The bill, however, would eliminate funding for the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP).

The Senate’s propoasl would reduce federal spending by $50 billion, including $6.5 billion in new cuts that were suggested by the White House in the Administration’s 2012 budget request.

The House’s budget bill (H.R. 1) , which passed on February 19, cuts discretionary-funded maximum awards for the Pell Grant from $4,860 to $4,105.  The bill also provides no funding for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP). Both programs provide financial grants to students who qualify for financial aid. Finally, the bill reduces President Obama’s proposed FY11 budget request by $100 billion.

The Senate is expected to vote on their proposed budget bill and the House’s bill this week. It is unlikely that the Senate will pass H.R. 1.

If the Senate fails to pass either H.R. 1 or its own budget bill, both chambers would have to return to the drawing board and would likely require additional time to reach an agreement on spending levels for the remainder of FY2011.

Last week the U.S. House and Senate passed a short-term (two week) budget bill that will fund the federal government through March 18. The latest continuing resolution was passed in order to allow more time to debate a long-term agreement for the remainder of the current fiscal year. Despite this intention, some speculate that a second short-term continuing resolution will be needed before a final agreement is reached.

2011 Legislative Session: Week 9

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With floor action scheduled to end at 5:00 pm on Monday March 7 the majority of next week’s schedule will be a mix of work sessions and committee hearings on bills that have passed the March 7 deadline.

Several bills remain in Rules and on the floor calendar in both chambers which means committee agendas are expected to change frequently between now and next Tuesday.

At this time next week’s schedule includes a work session in each chamber’s higher education policy committee regarding the policy impacts of budget cuts on baccalaureate institutions. In addition, a handful of bills have been scheduled for public hearings. Please see the links below for a list of all the hearings that might be of interest.

Senate and House Work Long Hours to Move Bills as March 7 Deadline Nears

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The House and Senate kept a steady pace today and will work through the weekend to meet the March 7 deadline to pass legislation from the chamber where bills were first introduced.

The Evergreen State College is continuing to track approximately 100 bills, these bills and others can be found at the Legislature’s website.

Several bills that would impact higher education are moving through the process including legislation that would reform the Guaranteed Education Tuition program, require forecast caseloads for the State Need Grant and the Washington College Bound Scholarship Program, and academic prior learning.