The state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council this morning delivered a quarterly report that increases anticipated tax collections for the remainder of the 2017-19 budget cycle and the new one that begins July 1 by $860 million. That brings anticipated revenues for the 2019-21 biennium to $50.56 billion, or 9.6 percent higher than in 2017-19. […]
Tax collections over the past month once again outperformed expectations, delivering a bit of good news leading up to Wednesday’s quarterly revenue forecast that legislative leaders will use to write their budget proposals this spring. Since the November forecast used by Gov. Jay Inslee to write his proposal, collections are up $171.9 million, or 2.6 […]
A bill that would create a Washington Wine specialty license plate and direct funding to support research at WSU Tri-Cities passed off the House Floor Wednesday afternoon with a vote of 86-9. HB 2050 would give Washington drivers the option of purchasing a special license plate featuring a landscape display of Washington’s wine regions. Proceeds […]
The state Senate yesterday approved legislation reauthorizing the funding mechanism for a key WSU Spokane research partner. The 12-year-old Health Sciences and Service Authority of Spokane County helps drive funding to support life and health sciences research. For instance, the HSSA is a partner in WSU’s new Gleason Institute for Neuroscience. It has also helped […]
A bill to enhance health sciences training opportunities brought by student leaders at WSU Spokane cleared the state House of Representatives 95-0 late Monday afternoon. House Bill 1726 now heads to the Senate. Under current law, nursing, pharmacy and medical students taking basic vital signs at health fairs and other such events must be supervised […]
The state House of Representatives on Friday approved legislation that would allow students under 21 enrolled in viticulture and enology programs at four-year universities to taste but not consume wine as part of their educational experiences outside the classroom. HB 1563 extends on legislation passed in 2015 to include grape-growing areas and wine production facilities […]
A panel of WSU College of Pharmacy students convened before the House Health Care & Wellness committee this week to show support for a bill they’re spearheading concerning services provided by health care professional students. HB 1726 aims to address issues with the current law governing inter-professional student health care training by widening the scope […]
Members of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee held a work session on meeting workforce demands in Washington State’s Health Care Industry this week and called WSU forward to present its case for how the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is addressing this major issue. Since the medical school’s authorization in 2015, […]
Legislative leaders in both the House and Senate have cancelled Monday’s legislative activities due to uncommonly adverse winter weather conditions. This marks the first such cancellation for weather in recent memory – at least 20 years. Many legislators spent the weekend in their home districts across the state, which has been pounded by snow to […]
WSU Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Jacob Leachman was called before the Senate Transportation Committee today to provide an overview on his research in hydrogen fuel cell technology and its applications in the transportation sector. Leachman, founder of the Hydrogen Properties for Energy Research Lab at WSU, gave a brief introduction on the science behind […]