Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08) convened a listening session at the WSU Puyallup R&E Center to hear from the local agriculture community on their priorities, concerns, and questions surrounding the upcoming Farm Bill. Congresswoman Schrier has been named the Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Farm Bill Task Force and has served on the House Agriculture […]
Leaders from three of WSU’s campuses met with over a dozen legislators over two days advocating for top WSU legislative priorities. Chancellors Sandra Haynes of WSU Tri-Cities, Mel Netzhammer of WSU Vancouver, and Daryll DeWald of WSU Spokane met with their local legislators as well as key lawmakers given the university’s asks, with the top […]
The Sustainable Aviation Biofuels Work Group would be codified under SB 5447, heard in the House yesterday. The group of business and government leaders, among other stakeholders, is convened by WSU and is charged with working to identify opportunities and challenges facing the emerging industry. The workgroup first convened in 2012 and relies on collaborative […]
Legislation that would enable Washington’s public institutions of higher education to receive basic contact information for graduating high school students in the state was heard in the House Education committee yesterday. SB 5593 would also have the colleges and universities report back to high schools where students enrolled in their postsecondary programs. Currently, colleges and […]
A key metric that is used to calculate tuition rates would be made available earlier under Senate Bill 5079, heard in the House Postsecondary, Education and Workforce Development committee for the first time today. The bill requires the state budget office, the Office of Financial Management, to communicate the maximum allowable increase in tuition to […]
State senators yesterday took a moment to recognize the WSU Women’s basketball team and their triumphant Pac-12 Conference Championship – a first in program history. Senator Sam Hunt, a WSU alumnus, remarked that “This has been a historic week for WSU athletics. Yesterday, the WSU women won the Pac-12 conference basketball championship under the leadership […]
The state’s K-12 coordinating entity, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and public institutions of higher education would be required to enter into data sharing agreements to help inform Washington high school students about postsecondary educational opportunities, according to a bill passed by the Senate with a vote of 40-8 late Friday. […]
A bill that would extend the number of years a student can receive the Washington College Grant was moved out of the Senate with a vote of 48-1 on Thursday afternoon. If passed, SB 5711 would make a student eligible to receive six years or up to 150 percent of the length of the student’s […]
Senate Bill 5702, which would make permanent a state pilot program that offers support services to students facing homelessness and foster youth, cleared the Senate on Thursday with a 46-3 vote. The Students Experiencing Homelessness and Foster Youth Pilot Program was first established by the Legislature in 2019 under SB 5800, which made available certain […]
A bill that seeks to facilitate the use and production of alternative jet fuels passed off the Senate floor Wednesday evening with a vote of 46-2. Among preferential tax adjustments, SB 5447 would also codify a work group convened by Washington State University. Initially convened in 2012, the Sustainable Aviation Biofuels Work Group is tasked […]