WSU testified in support of the governor’s supplemental operating budget proposal this week in front of the House Appropriations and the Senate Ways and Means committees.
The proposal funds the university’s top operating budget priorities. It most notably provided $1.272 million to fund administration of the state’s new solar energy incentive program, currently being built and administered by the WSU Energy Program at the Legislature’s direction.
The governor’s budget also provided $500,000 to allow WSU to hire a full-time director, support staff and competitive research grant program for the Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials (JCDREAM). The university leads the advanced materials research collaborative with the University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest National Lab.
The House and Senate are expected to produce their own budget proposals next month before sending a negotiated agreement to the governor in March.
You can find more detail here on what the Governor’s budget means for WSU and you can view Director of State Relations Chris Mulick’s testimony before the Senate Ways & Means Committee below.