Before adjourning for the Easter Recess the House concluded their week with a series of votes related to the Budget. By a vote of 318-109, members passed a Continuing Resolution, House Resolution 933, funding the government through September 30, 2013, the end of the fiscal year. The House also passed the FY 2014 budget resolution setting the parameters for the FY 2014 appropriations process. House Continuing Resolution 25, introduced by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) lays out a much different 10-year spending plan than the FY 2014 budget resolution considered in the Senate.
On Friday, the Senate is on the floor gearing up for what is known as “vote-a-rama”. Senators will be voting on amendments to their version of the FY 2014 Budget Resolution,, Senate Continuing Resolution 8. Just before 5:00 a.m. on March 23, the Senate passed a budget resolution for the first time in four year. More than 100 amendments were considered during the vote-a-rama – including an amendment to increase funding authority to create a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation to support collaboration between universities, federal agencies and the private sector by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO).
We’ll have more information up on the impacts of the budget on WSU moving forward.
Congress wasn’t the only ones busy this week. Friday concluded a week of visitors here at the WSU Federal Relations Office. Chancellor Lisa Brown, the 2013 Washington State University Woman of Distinction, spent Monday and Tuesday meeting with members of the delegation and their staff. She discussed the Riverpoint Campus, highlighting a range of successful programs on the campus.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson and Pullman Moscow Regional Airport Executive Director, Tony Bean were in Washington DC for the ACI-NA/AAAE Washington Legislative Conference. While they were in town, they had the opportunity to provide updates on the Runway Realignment Project to members and staff from both the Washington and Idaho delegations.
Congress is now on a two-week break for the Easter holiday. We have plenty of activity of the next couple of weeks with Colleen Kerr participating in a roundtable discussion with Congresswoman Suzan DelBene in Bothell and Glynda Becker meeting with Congressman Dave Reichert at WSU’s extension office in Wenatchee.