In tough budget session, UW won significant battles

Kayla Webley
2005-04-27
The Daily

The UW fought, pleaded and managed to come out alive -- with some changes, improvements and disappointments along the way -- in the 2005 legislative session.

The state's legislative session ended when mallets dropped simultaneously in both houses of the state Legislature Sunday.

Even with less money to work with and more projects and entities to fund, the session closed with a budget awaiting a signature from Gov. Christine Gregoire.

Statewide diversity

UW administrators and lobbyists were in support of Senate Bill 5575 and its companion bill in the House, which, if passed, would have allowed race to be considered as a factor in college admissions.

The UW has not been able to use race in the admissions process since 1998 when Initiative 200 passed. Since then, the UW has struggled to increase diversity and, just this academic year, reached the levels of diversity present before I-200.

The UW's voice grew strong on the issue when UW President Mark Emmert wrote a guest editorial in support of the bill in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The bill passed out of the Senate education committee, but went on to fail when it did not meet the deadline for a floor vote in the Senate.

House Bill 1515 failed on the floor by one vote. The bill would have included sexual orientation in the state's human rights code, protecting gays and lesbians from being discriminated against when seeking housing and insurance, as well as in the work place.

"It's upsetting that partisan politics played a role in the final outcome of this bill. Seventy-one percent of Washingtonians support House Bill 1515, yet 100 percent of Senate Republicans rejected [it]," said Leoule Goshu, director of the UW's Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian and Transgender Commission. "It would have guaranteed that people from all sexualities are treated equally and with fairness under the law. This bill can only strengthen our respect for all people."

Money, money, money

The Legislature increased taxes on some products in order to compensate for increases in budgetary funding.

So called "sin taxes" were approved, which raise the cost of getting a fix for both smokers and alcohol consumers. The tax will raise the cost of a pack of cigarettes by 60 cents and add an additional $1.33 per liter onto the cost of liquor.

The majority of increase in revenue from the sin taxes are slated go toward funding an education legacy trust fund which will reduce class size and increase teacher pay at schools statewide, in addition to funding higher education enrollment slots.

The gas tax was also approved and will increase the already high price of filling up by 9.5 cents a gallon over the next four years.

Revenue generated by this tax will go toward funding transportation projects across the state, including a plan to revamp and expand the state Route 520 bridge.

Building up and out

The UW's capital projects request was almost completely funded.

This plan includes the necessary funding to remodel Guggenheim and Architecture halls and the H-wing of the Health Sciences building.

In addition to the remodels, design money was also provided to remodel Savery, Clark and the Playhouse Theatre.

The UW has hoped for additional money to help transition both branch campuses, UW Tacoma (UWT) and Bothell (UWB), into four-year universities.

UWB was not given any of the money requested in the capital projects proposal and UWT received $7.5 million of the $13 million requested.

Accommodating the masses

As the state braces for its largest graduating class in 2008, the Legislature approved funding for 7,900 new enrollment slots across the state.

UW Seattle will receive 360 of the spots, which includes 80 fully-funded graduate spots. The branch campuses received a total of 600 spots, with about half being designated for lower division enrollments in 2007.

"We're very pleased that the Legislature decided to fund more enrollment slots at the University," said UW student lobyist Jamie Corning. "We want to make sure there are enough slots for everybody that wants a four-year degree."