Legislative update: Session starts next week
The 2017 Legislative Session begins on Monday in Olympia – the first of two sessions that will make up the two-year biennium. Under the state constitution, legislative sessions during odd-numbered years are scheduled for 105 calendar days, while sessions during even-numbered years are scheduled for 60 days. Barring an extended period known as a special session, the 2017 Legislative Session will conclude on April 23. During the coming months, legislators will consider hundreds of bills impacting state policy and pass a state budget before the session concludes.
On Dec. 14, Governor Jay Inslee released his proposed operating and capital budgets. includes a two-year freeze in resident undergraduate tuition at public baccalaureate institutions, new investments in student financial aid, funding for minor capital improvements at Western, and a salary increase for state employees, including all Western employees. In developing a balanced state budget, the Legislature faces unique challenges during the months ahead, including meeting K-12 education funding obligations resulting from the 2012 Supreme Court McCleary decision.
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