Western Legislative Review: Legislature Approves Operating Budget and Includes Funding for Student Success
On Friday in Olympia, the Senate and House of Representatives approved a new biennial operating budget. The 2017-19 budget was signed by Governor Inslee before midnight on June 30, averting a partial shutdown of state government that would have begun July 1. WWU’s Budget Office has released an analysis of the budget, which can be found here and here.
Under the new budget, the state’s tuition policy is unchanged, permitting a 2.2% increase in resident undergraduate tuition for the 2017-18 academic year and a 2% increase for the 2018-19 academic year at four-year public higher education institutions. These permitted increases follow decreases in resident undergraduate tuition over the past two years. Services and Activities (S&A) fee increases are also limited to 2.2% in 2017-18 academic year and 2% in the 2018-19 academic year.