Today is the first day of the Washington State Legislature’s 2021 Session!  Western’s priorities for this session are focused on maintaining and building upon core supports for students through state investments.

Operating Budget:

WWU’s top operating budget priority is to protect the state’s current investments in Western and access to public higher education, including the Washington College Grant. Reductions in baseline funding for Western, including mandated furloughs for faculty and staff, will result in fewer course offerings, less advising and decreased student support services, funding reductions that will disproportionately impact low income and first generation students.

Western is also partnering with the state’s other public four-year comprehensive universities (CWU, EWU and Evergreen) on a joint proposal related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives aimed at improving the access and success of traditionally underserved students in postsecondary education. WWU’s portion of the request would include funding to:

• Expand recruitment and outreach efforts to underserved Washington students;
• Address urgent needs in mental health counseling, sexual violence support, and other critical student services; and
• Create a new academic curriculum in Ethnic Studies.

Capital Budget:

WWU’s top capital priority is a $51 million request for construction of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. The state funding will compliment at least $15 million in private funds already pledged for the project.  Other capital budget priorities include $4.9 million for construction of a Coast Salish-style Longhouse, as well as renovation and maintenance projects, and pre-design funding for a new Student Success Center and the renovation of the Environmental Science Center.  These capital priorities were fully funded in the governor’s capital budget proposal, and WWU will be working hard during the legislative session to ensure they are funded in the state’s final 2021 capital budget. 

Western’s full 2021 Legislative Agenda can be found here. 

Earlier this week, Congress passed the next COVID relief bill and omnibus spending package. The key provisions related to higher education include:

• Simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will reduce the number of questions on the form from 108 to 36;
• Expansion of the Pell Grant eligibility that will enable an additional 555,000 students to qualify for Pell Grants, including incarcerated prisoners and students convicted of a drug offense, who were previously ineligible, as well as allowing more students to receive the maximum award each year;
• $20 billion from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to be distributed to all public and private non-profit institutions of higher education for emergency student financial aid and institutional emergency relief; and
• An additional $1 billion in spending on medical research.

Click here for a full section-by-section summary from the House Appropriations Committee.

Yesterday, Governor Inslee released his proposal for the State’s 2021-23 capital budget, which includes funding for many of WWU’s capital priorities.

The governor’s capital budget includes $51 million for construction of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science building—WWU’s top capital budget request for the biennium—as well as $4.9 million for design and construction of a Coast Salish-style Longhouse on Western’s Bellingham campus.

The full list of proposed capital investments for Western includes:

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – $51 million
• Minor Works Preservation – $9.8 million
• 2021-23 Classroom & Labs – $8.5 million
• Student Development & Success (pre-design) – $225,000
• Coast Salish Longhouse – $4.95 million
• Minor Works Program – $1 million
• Environmental Studies Center Renovation (pre-design) – $500,000
• Critical Safety, Access Control, and Fiber Optic Upgrades – $4 million
• Elevator Preservation and ADA Upgrades – $1 million

The release of the governor’s budget proposals marks the beginning of the State’s biennial budgeting process.  The Legislature will convene for the 2021 Session on January 11^th, when they will consider the governor’s budget proposals and begin negotiating the final biennial budgets.  The 2021 Legislative Session will be conducted virtually and is scheduled to end on April 25^th.

Governor Inslee released his proposed operating budget yesterday, marking the first step in the 2021-23 biennial budgeting process. 

The governor’s operating proposal includes $3.4 million for Western’s “Advancing Inclusive Success” proposal aimed at addressing equity issues in higher education to ensure underrepresented students receive the same opportunities for success as their peers.  The governor’s budget also retains full funding for the Washington College Grant.

Additionally, the governor’s budget calls for the implementation of a furlough for all state employees, including Western employees, in the 2021-23 biennium and takes back funding originally appropriated for a 3% general wage increase in FY21 for faculty and professional staff, mirroring the State’s cancelation of the July 1, 2020 general wage increase for non-classified state employees.  The impact of these actions would be a $9.87 million reduction to WWU’s state funding.

The governor’s proposal is just the beginning of the State’s 2-year budgeting process.  The Legislature convenes virtually in January when lawmakers will take up the governor’s proposal and begin to negotiate the final 2021-23 biennial budget that is expected to be finalized in late April 2021.

The state’s quarterly revenue forecast adopted by the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council on November 18th projects a $634 million increase in state revenues for the 2019- 21 biennium and a $328 million increase for the 2021-23 biennium compared to the September 2020 forecast.

Despite the improvement, state revenues are still projected to be more than $3.3 billion below the pre-pandemic projection for the two biennia.  If the shortfall remains, state legislators will need to balance the state operating budget through use of reserves, spending cuts and/or increased revenue.

Governor Inslee will release his proposed 2021-2023 operating budget in December based on the November 18^th forecast, which will kick-off the biennial budgeting process.  State legislators will convene for the 2021 legislative session on January 11th, where they will be tasked with passing a final biennial budget by the end of the 105-day session.  The next state revenue forecast is scheduled for March 20, 2021.

This week the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council announced estimates for state revenue collections have increased by $2.2 billion for the current 2019-21 biennial budget, leaving a $760 million surplus, including reserves, at the end of the budget cycle.  Revenue projections have also increased by more than $2.4 billion for the upcoming 2021-23 budget cycle since the state’s last forecast in June, but the state is still facing a significant overall decrease in revenue collections compared to pre-pandemic levels.

According to David Schumacher, Governor Inslee’s Budget Director, “Our revenue picture is vastly improved over what it was just a few months ago.  But we will still face challenges in meeting the needs of our most vulnerable citizens, funding education and addressing other requirements over the next three years.”

The next state revenue forecast is scheduled for November 18th.  Click here to read more about today’s forecast.

WWU received $886,000 per year in new state funding during the 2020 legislative session to reduce tuition rates for Western on the Peninsulas degree programs that are currently above state-funded resident undergraduate tuition rates.  Last week, Western announced tuition rates for students attending Western on the Peninsulas degree programs in business administration, environmental science and policy, and elementary and special education will be lowered beginning this fall. Tuition rates for 4-year degree programs in cybersecurity and early childhood education programs at Western on the Peninsulas were already aligned with other state-supported degree programs thanks to earlier legislative investments.

Click here to read more.

This week the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council announced estimates for state revenue collections have decreased by $4.5 billion for the current 2019-21 biennial budget that began on July 1, 2019.  After accounting for reserves, the state faces a net $1.4 billion shortfall at the end of the current biennium.  Revenue projections have also decreased by $4.3 billion for the upcoming 2021-23 budget cycle since the state’s last forecast in February. 

Governor Inslee and state legislators have indicated that a special legislative session in 2020 is likely in order to make necessary spending reductions that will balance the state’s 2019-21 operating budget. 

The next state revenue forecast is scheduled for September 23th.  Click here to read more about this week’s forecast.

The 2020 legislative session ended in mid-March, and earlier this month, Governor Inslee finished signing bills into law, including the 2020 supplemental operating budget.

Key outcomes for WWU from the 2020 session include:

• $886,000 per year in new funding for the reduction of tuition rates for four-year degree programs offered at WWU on the Peninsulas;
• Passage of HB 1755, authorizing Western to offer applied doctorate level degrees in education; and
• Passage of SB 6139, reauthorizing the state’s Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI), which supports research in WWU’s Plastics and Composites Engineering program.

Unfortunately funding originally included in the budget for Western to offer American Sign Language (ASL) courses was vetoed by the governor as a means of achieving budget savings to address the state’s COVID-19 response. 

State revenue collections are expected to fall sharply this year due to the significant economic impacts of the coronavirus response.  The next official state revenue forecast is scheduled for June 17^th, but the State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will likely release preliminary data on revenue projections later this month.   

Yesterday the Washington State Legislature wrapped-up the 60-day 2020 legislative session in Olympia. 

Highlights of the session for WWU include:

• $886,000 per year to reduce tuition rates for Western on the Peninsulas degree programs that are currently above state-funded resident undergraduate tuition rates;
• $215,000 per year for WWU to begin offering courses in American Sign Language (ASL), deaf studies and deaf education;
• Passage of SB 6492 – legislation that will ensure the solvency of the State’s newly-established dedicated fund for higher education investments;
• Passage of HB 1755 – legislation authorizing WWU (as well as CWU and EWU) to offer applied doctorate degrees in education, also known as “EdDs” (pending gubernatorial approval); and
• Passage of SB 6139—legislation reauthorizing the State’s Joint Center for Aerospace Technology & Innovation (JCATI) program, which provides grant funding to WWU, along with UW and WSU, to partner on research initiatives with businesses in the regional aerospace industry (pending gubernatorial approval).

The WWU Office of Government Relations will release a final 2020 session report in the coming weeks that will include a complete list of enacted legislation with impact to WWU.

The 105-day 2021 Legislative Session is scheduled to begin on January 11, 2021.