State Legislative News

Washington leaders pay tribute to President Floyd

All of Washington State University was united in its grief this week with the announcement that President Elson Floyd passed away early Saturday morning in Pullman due to complications from cancer. He was a respected leader, not just for the tremendous achievements he made for WSU, but also his personable and inspirational attitude towards the […]

State House, Senate release updated budgets

Legislators in both the state House and Senate have released updated budget proposals over the past several days that, for WSU, largely reflect proposals they introduced previously. WSU testified in support of both the original House and Senate budgets. A key change in the Senate’s new proposal is to escalate the full implementation of a […]

Revenue forecast provides timely bump

A new report released today indicates budget writers will have an additional $400 million over previous assumptions to help reconcile their proposed budgets during this year’s special legislative session. You can find the official press release from the state budget office here and TVW’s coverage here. The new revenue forecast added $79 million for what’s left […]

Legislature adjourns, special session to commence Wednesday

The Legislature adjourned its 2015 regular session this evening and has been called back for a 30 day special session beginning Wednesday. Most notably, lawmakers still must agree on a two-year operating budget and a capital budget. You can learn more about the differences between the various proposals here. You can view WSU’s testimony on […]

Bill for enology, viticulture programs signed into law

Governor Inslee signed House Bill 1004 into law this afternoon, allowing students under 21 enrolled in enology and viticulture programs at four year universities to taste but not consume wine as part of their instruction. The bill previously passed in the Senate with a vote on 38-6 last week and it passed through the House with […]

Purce, Sherman honored by Senate

The state Senate this morning approved a resolution honoring the distinguished career of retiring Evergreen State College President Thomas L. “Les” Purce, a former vice president at WSU. Also recognized was his wife Dr. Jane Sherman, WSU’s retiring vice provost for academic policy and evaluation. Having served as president of Evergreen since 2000, Dr. Purce […]

Stressing the importance of higher education

This past weekend the Spokesman-Review published an op-ed piece co-written by Washington State University Spokane chancellor Lisa Brown and Eastern Washington University president Mary Cullinan. The article showcases the benefits of better funding higher education, especially for the Inland Northwest region that needs educational opportunities and graduates in high-demand fields to meet up with the […]

Governor, lawmakers celebrate 25 years of branch campuses

Governor Jay Inslee and the State Senate recognized the 25th anniversary of the five branch campuses of Washington State University and the University of Washington today, the 92nd day of the 105-day regular legislative session. The morning began in Governor Inslee’s office where he presented each chancellor with a signed copy of a proclamation to […]

Comparing the House and Senate budgets

Both the House and Senate have unveiled their respective operating and capital budget requests and legislators will begin negotiating final budgets to send to the governor’s desk in the coming weeks. The WSU budget office has prepared side-by-side analyses incorporating original WSU requests compared with budget proposals from the governor, House and Senate. You can […]