The 2019 legislative session began in Olympia last week with much of the focus centered on House and Senate public hearings on Governor Inslee’s proposed operating and capital budgets for the 2019-21 biennium.  (Click here to read President Randhawa’s statement about how the governor’s budget would impact Western.)

This week the House College & Workforce Development and Senate Higher Education Committees will hold public hearings on bills that would implement the governor’s proposed Washington College Promise Scholarship (HB 1340 and SB 5393), legislation that would guarantee state financial aid to eligible students and would rename the existing State Need Grant the Washington College Promise.  This proposal complements the governor’s budget proposal to fully fund the State Need Grant by 2022.

Today is also AS Western Lobby Day in Olympia, where nearly 100 WWU students will be meeting with legislators from across the state to advocate for support for undocumented students, environmental protections, support for survivors of sexual assault, financial assistance for low-income students, and other issues.