By WSU Government Relations

The Legislature adjourned its 2019 session just before midnight Sunday, having approved budget compromises. Most notably, the Legislature fully funded WSU’s $14.4 million request for core funding to support the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

The operating budget package completes funding for the College of Medicine’s existing cohorts of 60 students per year as well while also funding first- and second-year instruction for an additional 20 students, allowing the college to admit 80 students this fall. This request was WSU’s top legislative priority.

We are working jointly with the Budget Office on a comprehensive analyst. In the meantime, here is an overview:

Operating budget:

• ESFCOM $14.4 million
• Comp and Central Services Support (Foundational Support) 5.353 million
• Clean energy legislation (WSU Energy Program) $1.411 million
• Maintenance and operations for new buildings FY20 $383,000, FY21 $1.06 million
• Children’s mental health legislation $264,000
• Domestic Violence legislation $173,000
• Opioid overdose medication legislation $53,000
• Soil Health Initiative $500,000

Capital budget:

• $36.4 million to complete construction of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab in Pullman
• $27 million to construct a new academic building at ÍøÆسԹÏ
• $500,000 for pre-design of a new Biomedical and Health Sciences Building at WSU Spokane
• $10 million to support a land purchase to support future growth at WSU Everett
• $21.4 million for minor works preservation
• $5.328 million for minor works program (MCI & omnibus equipment). Funded for the first time in ten-years

The capital budget agreement did not fund WSU’s $4 million request to design a Life Sciences Building at WSU Vancouver.

In general, this was a very good year for Washington State University in the biennial budget process. We appreciate the support and leadership of the Washington State Legislature.

The nearly $114 million for construction and renovation projects throughout the WSU system has been approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee. The funding is part of the $4.3 billion capital budget that state lawmakers approved Friday and Inslee signed a few hours later.

Here’s the WSU projects included in the plan:

• Construction of new Plant Sciences Building on Pullman campus, $52 million.
• Construction of Global Animal Health Phase II Building on Pullman campus, $23 million.
• Preservation projects across the University system, $22.3 million.
• Preventive facility maintenance and repairs across the University system, $10.1 million.
• Design development for new Academic Building on Tri-Cities campus, $3 million.
• Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials, a collaborative venture with University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, $2 million.
• Renovations to add more STEM teaching labs on Pullman campus, $1 million.
• Pre-design development of new Life Sciences Building on the Vancouver campus, $500,000.

The capital budget, which the state uses to pay for fixed projects such as construction, renovations and certain types of equipment, was the largest piece of unfinished business from the 2017 legislative session. Seeking final approval of the capital budget was the  for the Government Relations and External Affairs team.