Monday kicked off the start to a busy week in both the House and Senate. Yesterday the Senate passed the five-year Farm Bill (S.954) with a vote off 66-27 and move onto a vote today on a comprehensive immigration bill titled the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S.744). The House will begin […]
The state Senate unveiled an updated budget proposal over the weekend and, for WSU, is nearly identical to the one it had previously proposed. It funds medical education expansion at WSU Spokane, fully funds the university’s maintenance level baseline and increases base funding by $17.9 million. It assumes no tuition increases for resident undergraduates over […]
Leaders in the state House of Representatives this afternoon rolled out an updated operating budget proposal and a separate revenue bill just days before the end of the Legislature’s first special session. Details about the budget can be found here. Details about the revenue bill, House Bill 2034, can be found here. The budget proposal […]
Since moving to Washington DC, the term “inside/outside the Beltway” is stated often. The term mostly arises in the form of a question, and based on the tone it is usually rhetorical. What is going on inside/outside the beltway, usually translates to, “What are they thinking? “ As an up until recently Washington State resident, mixed with the recent outpouring […]
The House and Senate are moving forward on reauthorizing the Farm Bill. Last week after a daylong session, even with a three-hour break, the House Agriculture Committee finished marking up its bill at 11:45 last Wednesday night. The Senate brought their bill to the floor this week and will be adjourning for the Memorial Day […]
A report presented today to the Student Achievement Council by a team of researchers from Washington State University and the University of Washington underscored changing state demographics to press for enhancements in promoting diversity within the state’s higher education system. You can find it here. The report indicated that growth among the 18 to 24-year-old […]
The Everett Herald published an editorial in Sunday’s edition calling for the Legislature to increase overall funding for higher education as it negotiates a two-year budget during the current special session. You can find it here. Today begins the second week of that 30-day session and activity has been light. In its editorial, the Herald […]
With just six weeks left until subsidized student loan interest rates are set to increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent for new loans, lawmakers are scrambling to find a solution. Over the last week, two bills have been released in the Senate, in addition to one piece of legislation in the House. Currently, student […]
The House starts their mark up at 10 a.m. this morning with about 80 amendments filed. Not all will be considered, some will be incorporated into the Chairman’s amendment and like yesterday some will be debated and pulled for potential floor consideration. Expect a lot of debate on SNAP programs as the House bill will […]
The Office of Federal Relations had the pleasure of hosting a very important visitor last week. President Elson S. Floyd was in Washington DC for two full days of meeting to discuss the important role of Washington State University around education, innovative research and economic development throughout the state. During his visit, the President met […]