The Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee heard public testimony Thursday on House Bill 2029, which would transfer two Innovate Washington buildings located in Spokane to Washington State University.
Created in 2011, Innovate Washington is the successor agency to the Washington Technology Center and Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, serving as the primary agency to grow the state’s innovation-based economy. However, last year the Legislature eliminated funding for Innovate Washington, along with a series of other economic development related boards, commissions and agencies.
Much like Senate Bill 6518, which the Committee considered last week, HB 2029 would eliminate Innovate Washington from statute and transfer the Innovate Washington Building, located on the WSU Spokane campus, to WSU. The legislation would also transfer to WSU the master lease for the Technology Center Building, located adjacent to the campus.
You can find our previous coverage of the legislation here.
WSU is already the largest occupant in both buildings and already provides maintenance and operations support for the Innovate Washington Building. If transferred to WSU, these buildings would be used to help the campus build out its health sciences mission.
You can view WSU’s full testimony to the Committee below.