The State Senate and House of Representatives each released their supplemental operating budget proposals this week, marking a key step in the process to adopt a state supplemental budget that makes changes to the 2017-19 biennial budget approved in June. The budget proposals follow a quarterly economic and revenue forecast released last week projecting an increase in state funds due to a strong economy and revenue collections.
The Senate’s budget proposal released yesterday includes funding for Western to establish a new interdisciplinary STEM degree program in Marine, Coastal and Watershed Sciences. The unique degree program, which is included in WWU’s 2018 legislative priorities, would help meet student and employer demand, build upon Western’s strengths, and help address the state’s emerging challenges associated with climate change, resource management, and coastal science. The Senate’s proposal also includes new funding for Washington’s State Need Grant to provide access to higher education to an additional 2,500 eligible students throughout the state.
The budget proposal released by the House of Representatives this afternoon directs Western to establish an Early Childhood Education degree program through Western on the Peninsulas and in collaboration with Olympic College. The House proposal also includes one-time funding for WWU to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of creating a campus on the Olympic or Kitsap Peninsula, one of the most underserved areas in the state in terms of access to higher education, and to report findings from the study by December 2018. Similar to the Senate, the House also includes funding for the State Need Grant to reduce the number of students that are eligible for the need-based grant but do not receive it. The House proposal would reduce the current waiting list for the State Need Grant by one-third and serve approximately 6,200 additional postsecondary students.
The proposals released this week follow the Governor’s proposed supplemental budget in December and lays the groundwork for the House and Senate to develop a final 2018 supplemental budget before the sixty-day legislative session concludes on March 8. The Western Legislative Review will continue to provide updates from Olympia about the budget and bills during the coming weeks, and you can sign up for email updates on the right side of this page.