The 2015 legislative session is underway and Western has been making progress in Olympia since the start of the 105-day session on January 12th. Listed below is an update regarding Western’s efforts and recent developments.

House and Senate committees are busy at work, conducting work sessions and public hearings on proposed legislation. During the past two weeks, the House and Senate Higher Education Committees have held work sessions on the state’s higher education system, affordability in higher education, budget issues in higher education and high-demand degrees that lead to jobs. These work sessions can be viewed on TVW’s website by clicking the links above. Additional work sessions and public hearings are scheduled to take place in the House and Senate Higher Education committees during the coming weeks. Find information about upcoming committee agendas.

The first two weeks of session has also provided the opportunity for Western to testify before House and Senate members regarding the Governor’s operating and capital budget proposals. In testimony, we articulated Western’s concerns with aspects of the proposals and highlighted Western’s budget priorities, including the importance of providing adequate state funding if the Legislature continues the  tuition freeze and sufficient funding for renovation of the Carver Academic Facility.

This week has been especially active on the capitol campus because of the Associated Students’ extremely successful Viking Lobby Day on January 19th, where more than 80 Western students swarmed the capitol, participating in 110 meetings with legislators and showcasing a heavy dose of Viking Pride. WWU President Bruce Shepard and VP of University Relations and Community Development Steve Swan were also in Olympia this week to meet with legislators about Western’s legislative priorities.