Washington State University’s legislative agenda for the 2018 legislative session highlights the university’s top budget priorities and legislation to support the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. You can find the WSU 2018 legislative agenda here.
This year’s session begins Monday and is scheduled to run through March 11.
The four point agenda leads off with support for the capital budget agreement reached but not approved by legislators last year. That agreement funded construction of the Plant Sciences Building and partial construction of the Global Animal Health Phase II project, both in Pullman. It also funded design of a new academic building at WSU Tri-Cities and the predesign of a new Life Sciences Building at WSU Vancouver, among other priorities.
This year’s legislative agenda also includes WSU’s operating budget requests for $1.272 million to fund the implementation of Senate Bill 5939 – known as the solar bill – from last year to correct an oversight and $500,000 to hire a full-time director for the JCDREAM advanced materials research collaborative. The request would also fund support staff and a small competitive research grants program for the collaborative with the University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Both priorities were funded in the governor’s operating budget proposal introduced last month.
Finally, WSU is pursuing legislation to add a representative from the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine to the Family Medicine Residency Network advisory board. Still to be formally introduced in the coming week, the measure would add WSU as a co-chair with University of Washington Medicine and the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences. The network supports family medicine residencies in Washington and encourages the development of new ones. The bill would establish clarity with the newly accredited medical school’s standing with the Network and help the college promote the development of family medicine residencies.