Last week the House Democratic Caucus appointed chairs and vice-chairs to committees and the House Republicans announced most of their committee assignments for the 2013 legislative session. The House Higher Education Committee was assigned 19 members, which is almost as large as the House Education Committee of 21 members and more than twice the number […]
The Seattle Times has a story posted today about faculty in Washington’s public colleges and universities using technology to enhance the learning environment and gain a measure of efficiency. You can find it here. While there’s a temptation to think universities are resistant to change, the reality is they’ve had little choice but to become […]
Tax collections for the past month were $72.7 million, or 4.3 percent, above expectations and only some of it is considered to be an anomaly. Due to the timing of certain tax payments, monthly tax collections can spike or dive somewhat artificially without giving an accurate picture of economic activity. In a new report posted […]
On Friday, the House and Senate released their 2013 calendars for the 113th Congress. All members of Congress will convene on January 3, 2013. The session will begin with the swearing-in of newly elected members, including three new members from Washington State. In order to make the best use of your time when you come […]
The Council of Presidents today unveiled an updated online performance and accountability dashboard which will provide taxpayers more data about Washington’s public four-year institutions. The dashboard makes detailed data readily available related to student enrollment, progression and graduation, among other metrics. You can access the dashboard here. The Council of Presidents is a voluntary Washington […]
Today the House passed the STEM Jobs Act of 2012. House Resolution 6429, introduced by Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) after first failing to pass the House under suspension of the rules requiring a two-thirds majority vote. HR 6429 outlines a path to permanent residency for foreign students graduating with Masters or Doctorate degrees in STEM […]
WSU President Elson Floyd has named outgoing state Sen. Lisa Brown as the university’s next chancellor at its Spokane campus. You can read the press release here and coverage in the Spokesman-Review here. Brown is wrapping up a 20-year-long career in the Legislature, having served as Senate majority leader since 2005. She did not seek […]
According to Google maps, Pullman, Washington is approximately 2,542 miles away from Washington, D.C. However, don’t assume that just because 13, 421,760 feet stand between our office here in the nation’s capital and Martin Stadium that we are any less excited than the thousands of fans that will be descending upon Pullman on Friday for […]
A big congratulations to Washington State University Alumna Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) on being named the new chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Senator Murray succeeds retiring Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and will be the top budget writer in the Senate when the 113th Congress convenes in January. We look forward to the opportunity to […]
Congratulations to our Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers who was elected by her Republican peers today to serve as the House Republican Conference Chair for the 113th Congress. She will be the fourth highest Member of Congress. We look forward to working with her on WSU priorities!