A bipartisan group of leaders in the Senate on Tuesday evening unveiled the upper chamber’s operating and capital budget proposals, and work continued into the night to assess their impacts.
The cut to WSU’s state appropriation would be $112 million, compared to the $110 million in the House budget. Unlike the House budget, it does not hold any of the university’s remaining appropriation in reserve as a performance incentive.
The Senate plan also would authorize resident undergraduate tuition increases of up to 16 percent compared to 13 percent in the House plan. Largely because of that, the net cut to the university would be $44 million over the course of the 2011-13 budget cycle compared to $53 million in the House.
A hearing is scheduled for 2:30 today in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
The Senate’s capital budget for WSU was highlighted by the $60.2 million it would provide for the proposed Biomedical and Health Sciences Building in Spokane. Some $70.8 million was requested for construction. The House plan would provide $35 million. The Senate plan also included $8.2 million to support a partial renovation of Fulmer Hall on the Pullman campus.